THE  NEW   ROUTE  TO   THE   EAST. 


WESTWARD  BY  RAIL: 


THE  NEW  KOUTE   TO  THE  EAST. 


NEW    YORK: 
D.    APPLETON    &    COMPANY, 

90,  92   &   94   GRAND   STREET. 

1871. 


Hicroft  Library 


TO 
MY     AMERICAN     FRIENDS 

|  §*bitaie  *(jb  Botonte 


SINCERE    THANKS    FOR    T1I1-UU    KINDNESS 


HEARTY    GOOD    WISHES    FOB    THEIR    COUNTRY, 


PREFACE. 


ALTHOUGH  two  scries  of  letters,  the  one  entitled 
c  New  York  to  San  Francisco/  the  other  ( A  Visit 
to  the  Mormons,'  which  recently  appeared  in  The 
Daily  News,  form  the  basis  of  this  volume,  yet 
those  who  have  perused  these  letters  will  firid  that 
the  revision  they  have  undergone  is  so  thorough, 
and  the  additions  made  to  them  are  so  considerable, 
as  to  constitute  the  volume  itself  an  entirely  new 
work  in  substance,  if  not  in  name.  Like  the  famous 
stockings  of  Sir  John  Cutler,  these  productions  now 
resemble,  in  general  outline  only,  that  which  they 
were  originally. 

Seldom,  indeed,  should  contributions  to  news 
papers  be  reprinted  precisely  as  they  were  when 
first  published.  A  journalist  must  adapt  himself 
to  his  readers  if  he  would  gain  their  confidence 
and  produc  e  a  vivid  and  lasting  impression.  Every 


Vlil  PREFACE. 

newspaper  has  its  own  circle  of  readers.  The 
better  fitted  a  piece  of  writing  may  be  to  rivet  the 
attention  and  gratify  the  taste  of  that  circle,  the 
greater  is  the  probability  of  its  proving  unsuited  for 
the  varied  and  unascertained  tastes  of  the  vast 
critical  circle  to  which  a  writer  appeals,  and  by 
which  he  is  judged,  when  he  gives  a  book  to  the 
public. 

Articles  of  a  purely  literary  character  may  some 
times  be  advantageously  reprinted  from  newspapers 
without  the  excision  of  a  sentence  or  the  modifica 
tion  of  an  opinion.  The  brilliant  and  incisive 
critiques  of  the  late  Samuel  Phillips  are  as  spark 
ling,  pungent,  and  valuable  now  that  they  appear  in 
a  volume  exactly  as  they  were  when  they  informed 
and  gratified  the  readers  of  The  Times.  Artistic  and 
thoughtful  biographical  sketches,  like  those  which 
Miss  Martincau  has  reprinted  from  The  Daily  Ncics, 
would  not  have  been  improved  if  the  original  form 
and  phraseology  had  been  sensibly  altered.  No 
change  would  be  for  the  better  in  some  of  the 
finished  studies  in  political  science  and  social  ethics 
which  distinguished  contributors  to  The  Pall  Mall 
Gazette  and  The  Saturday  Pevicw  now  and  then 


PREFACE.  IX 

collect  and  reproduce  in  volumes.  But  letters  such 
as  mine  are  in  a  different  category.  The  space  at 
my  disposal  being  necessarily  restricted,  I  was  de 
barred  from  making  full  use  of  the  details  I  had 
collected.  Moreover,  my  contributions  had  to  pass 
through  the  alembic  of  editorial  supervision.  The 
process  may  have  greatly  improved,  while  slightly 
altering  them.  Nevertheless,  when  acknowledging 
their  paternity,  I  exercise  a  natural  right  in  dress 
ing  them  according  to  my  own  fancy,  and  pre 
senting  them  in  the  garb  which  I  believe  to  be  at 
once  the  most  suitable  and  the  most  becoming.  As 
a  necessary  consequence  of  the  veil  of  anonymity 
being  formally  drawn  aside,  all  the  responsibility 
for  views  adopted  and  opinions  expressed  is  now 
transferred,  from  the  journal  in  which  many  of  these 
letters  were  printed,  to  the  writer  whose  name  is 
on  the  title-page  of  this  Work. 

That  portion  of  it  which  relates  to  the  Pacific 
Railway  supplies  information  which  the  public  can 
hardly  call  stale  and  may  possibly  consider  to  be 
interesting.  Those  who  have  not  made  the  journey 
will  gather  from  this  volume  what  I  hope  will  be 
regarded  as  an  accurate  notion  of  the.  vicissitudes 


X  PREFACE. 

to  be  encountered,  and  the  pleasures  to  be  enjoyed, 
while  future  travellers  will  probably  find  the  par 
ticulars  I  have  given  both  instructive  and  service 
able.  The  accompanying  map,  which  has  been 
specially  prepared  in  order  to  exhibit  the  course  of 
the  railway,  along  with  a  section  showing  the 
gradients,  will  enable  both  the  general  and  the 
professional  reader  to  understand  very  clearly  the 
nature  and  magnitude  of  the  enterprise. 

It  is  possible  that  my  account  of  the  Mormons 
will  occasion  some  surprise.  In  the  main  it  differs 
materially  from  the  accounts  written  by  several 
preceding  visitors  to  the  Valley  of  the  Great  Salt 
Lake.  I  could  not  confirm  all  their  statements 
without  making  an  unpardonable  sacrifice  of  truth. 
Doubtless  they  were  honest  in  their  eulogy ;  but, 
then,  they  must  either  have  deliberately  shut  their 
eyes,  or  else  have  been  incompetent  and  superficial 
observers.  It  may  be,  that,  going  forth  laden  with 
foregone  conclusions,  they  returned  home  rejoicing 
that  they  were  in  the  right.  Captain  Burton's 
description  of  what  he  witnessed  in  Utah  is  per 
meated  with  his  avowed  approval  of  polygamy. 
His  wife  having  publicly  explained  that  his  practice 


PEEFACE.  xi 

is  diametrically  opposed  to  his  teaching,  the  book 
in  which  he  has  presented  a  favourable  picture  of 
Mormon  society  must  now  be  regarded  as  an 
awkward  joke  or  an  elaborated  paradox.  Mr. 
Hepworth  Dixon,  without  unreservedly  expressing 
personal  admiration  for  the  worst  Mormon  doctrines 
and  customs,  has  undoubtedly  produced  the  impres 
sion  that  polygamy  is  not  such  a  bad  thing  after 
all.  His  volumes  about  America  are  apparently 
designed  to  breed  doubts  and  excite  suspicions. 
The  well-informed  reader  is  always  at  a  loss  to 
decide  whether  Mr.  Dixon  has  been  shamefully 
imposed  upon,  or  has  determined  to  impose  upon 
others.  The  drawback  of  books  of  travel  ingeni 
ously  planned  in  order  to  sell,  is  that  they  are  apt 
to  be  regarded  by  the  uninitiated  as  trustworthy 
merely  because  they  happen  to  be  entertaining.  Sir 
Charles  Dilke  in  his  (  Greater  Britain '  writes  very 
sensibly  and  fairly  about  the  Mormons  and  their 
ways ;  but  he  deals  with  the  subject  only  as  an 
episode  in  his  long  and  eventful  journey. 

In   addition   to   divergences   of   statement    and 

opinion,  this  volume  is  distinguished  from  previous 

•ones  by  containing  particulars,  alike  curious  and 


Xll  PREFACE. 

novel,  relating  to  the  aspect  of  Mormonism  since 
the  Pacific  Railway  has  rendered  it  easy  to  visit 
and  to  get  away  from  the  City  of  the  Saints.  The 
new  order  of  things  in  Utah  has  made  it  imperative 
to  return  a  speedy  and  definite  answer  to  the  old 
inquiry:  '  What  shall  be  done  with  the  Mormons?' 
I  have  supplied  material  wherewith  to  frame  the 
reply  which  must  be  given,  and  I  have  indicated 
the  form  in  which  I  think  the  reply  may  most 
appropriately  be  couched. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAP.  PAGE 

I.  FROM.  THE  MERSEY  TO  THE  HUDSON  .        1 

II.  NEW   YORK   TO    SAN   FRANCISCO:   THE  ROUTES  TO 

THE  WEST         , 20 

III.  THE  GARDEN  CITY 34 

IV.  ACROSS  THE  PRAIRIE 49 

V.  OVER  THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAINS 70 

VI.  THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAINS  TO  THE  GREAT  SALT  LAKE       87 

VII.  VISIT  TO  THE  MORMONS:   THE  CITY  OF  THE  SAINTS      98 

VIII.  THE  MORMONS  AT  HOME      .        .        .        .        .         113 

IX.  MORMON  MISSIONS  AND  MISSIONARILS      .        ,       .129 

X.    MORMONISM   ON   ITS    TRIAL    .  .  .  ,  •  140 

XI.  BICKERINGS  AMONG  THE  SAINTS       ....     153 
XII.  UTAH  SCENERY 161 

XIII.  THE  PAST  AND  THE  FUTURE  OF  MORMONISM  .         .     1G9 

XIV.  THE  GREAT  SALT  LAKE   TO   THE   GREAT  AMERICAN 

DESERT     .  182 

XV.  THE  HUMROLDT  RIVER  AND  PLAINS  .  .  .196 
XVI.  THE  STATE  OF  NEVADA  AND  ITS  SILVER  TREASURES  205 
XVII.  ACROSS  THE  SIERRA  NEVADAS  .  .  .  .216 


XIV  CONTENTS. 

CHAP.  PAO 

XVIII.  THE  CAPITAL  OF  THE  GOLDEN  STATE          .        .  229 

XIX.  SACRAMENTO  CITY  TO  THE  GOLDEN  GATE        .  .245 

XX.  THE  QUEEN  CITY  OF  THE  PACIFIC  COAST     .        .  2G3 

XXI.  THE  'TIGERS'  AND  CHINESE  IN  SAN  FRANCISCO  .    283 

XXII.  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  CALIFORNIANS       .        .         .  308 

XXIII.  THE  GOLDEN  GATE  TO  THE  AMERICAN  ATHENS  324 

XXIV.  BOSTON  CITY  AND  HARVARD  UNIVERSITY     .        .  341 
XXV.  NEW  YORK  TO  EUSTON  SQUARE      .        .        ,  •    358 

XXVI.  IMPRESSIONS  AND  OPINIONS  OF  AMERICA     .        .  370 


MAP  SHOWING    THE  LlNES   OF  RAIL    BETWEEN    THE  ATLANTIC  AND 

PACIFIC,  WITH  SECTION  CF  THE  PACIFIC  RAILWAY  to  face  Title-page 


WESTWAED    BY    KAIL, 
i. 

FROM  THE  MERSEY  TO  THE  HUDSON. 

BEFORE  ARRIVING  at  the  station,  it  is  sometimes 
necessary  to  pass  through  an  ordeal  as  trying  as 
any  encountered  during  the  course  of  an  expedition 
by  rail.  The  distance  to  be  traversed,  the  cha 
racter  of  the  conveyance,  the  space  of  time  within 
which  to  catch  the  train,  are  considerations  which 
have  all  to  be  taken  into  account,  and  of  which 
each  may  contribute  something  towards  rendering 
the  traveller  anxious  and  uncomfortable.  My  pre 
liminary  journey  was  neither  short  nor  easy.  Prior 
to  travelling  f  Westward  by  Rail,'  I  had  to  traverse 
three  thousand  miles  of  a  stormy  ocean,  and 
undergo  the  chances  and  changes  incident  to  a 
voyage  extending  over  ten  weary  days.  By  many 
persons  a  trip  across  the  Atlantic  is  regarded  as  a 
commonplace  and  uninteresting  excursion.  Ac 
cording  to  them,  it  is  as  much  a  thing  of  everyday 


2  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

occurrence  as  the  passage  of  the  Channel  or  a  sail 
up  the  Rhine.  It  is  true  that,  with  a  memorable 
and  immortal  exception,  a  narrative  of  a  voyage  to 
America  has  ceased  to  inspire  universal  and  abiding 
interest.  The  unknown  sea  has  been  transformed 
into  the  ocean  highway.  Yet  to  those  who  make 
the  voyage  for  the  first  time,  the  sensation  is  as 
novel  and  impressive  as  it  was  to  the  daring 
mariners  who  unveiled  the  mysteries  of  an  un 
explored  deep,  and  dazzled  mankind  with  the  spec 
tacle  of  a  new  world.  In  the  hope  of  noting  a  few 
particulars  not  wholly  devoid  of  general  interest,  I 
venture  to  repeat  what  is  in  the  main  an  old  and  a 
hackneyed  tale. 

About  nine  o'clock  one  Saturday  morning,  to 
wards  the  end  of  August  1869,  I  formed  one  of  a 
group  on  the  deck  of  the  tender  Satellite,  which 
was  to  convey  the  passengers  for  New  York  from 
the  Prince's  Landing-stage  to  the  Cunard  steamer 
China,  lying  at  anchor  in  the  Mersey.  On  an 
other  tender  the  luggage  was  being  piled  up  without 
delay.  Porters,  staggering  under  the  weight  of 
huge  trunks,  portmanteaus,  and  leathern  bags,  fol 
lowed  each  other  in  rapid  succession.  This  was 
no  new  sight,  but  it  differed  in  one  respect  from 
everything  of  the  sort  which  I  had  witnessed  else 
where.  Nearly  every  passenger  seemed  to  be  the 


PE03I  THE  MERSEY  TO  THE  HUDSON.  3 

possessor  of  one  of  those  cane-bottomed  arm-chairs 
which  are  arranged  so  as  to  fold  together  till  they 
are  nearly  flat.  These  chairs  I  had  seen  exposed 
for  sale  in  several  of  the  Liverpool  shops,  but  I  did 
not  even  imagine  that  they  formed  a  necessary  part 
of  the  outfit  of  those  who  sailed  across  the  sea. 
Greatly  to  my  surprise,  I  learned  that  those  who 
failed  to  bring  their  own  chairs  could  not  expect  to 
De  comfortably  seated  on  the  deck  of  a  well-found 
Cunarder.  This  piece  of  information  diminished 
my  respect  for  the  company  which  boasts  of  never 
having  lost  a  letter  or  a  passenger,  and  which  makes 
its  reputation  an  apology  for  charging  more  than 
any  other  for  a  passage  across  the  Atlantic. 

Soon  after  stepping  on  board  the  China,  I  gained 
another  item  of  knowledge,  which  would  have  been 
very  useful,  had  it  not  been  acquired  too  late.  A 
rush  was  made  to  the  saloon  by  those  passengers 
who  knew  the  importance  of  being  the  first  to  per 
form  the  simple  ceremony  of  affixing  their  cards  to 
the  places  at  table  which  they  wished  to  occupy 
during  the  voyage.  Those  who  omitted  to  do  this, 
or  who  were  ignorant  of  the  advantage  of  being 
ranked  among  the  first  comers,  were  doomed  to  the 
discomfort  of  sitting  where  the  unpleasant  effects 
caused  by  the  rotation  of  the  screw-propeller  were 
even  more  to  be  dreaded  than  the  motion  of  the 


4  WESTWARD  BY  KAIL. 

steamer  as  she  pitches,  when  the  waves  arc  dashing 
against  her  bows,  or  when  she  rolls  heavily  under 
the  influence  of  cross  seas.  In  this  case,  however, 
the  law  of  compensation  operated  in  a  manner  which 
afforded  a  grim  pleasure  to  the  disappointed.  Those 
who  had  established  a  claim  to  the  best  seats  did 
not  always  appear  to  occupy  them.  Circumstances 
over  which  they  had  no  control  frequently  forced 
them  to  remain  in  their  berths  or  on  the  deck  while 
feasting  and  mirth  prevailed  in  the  saloon. 

After  the  China  had  steamed  a  short  distance 
down  the  river  she  was  stopped,  in  order  to  allow 
a  tender,  bearing  the  latest  despatches,  to  come 
alongside.  Several  persons  who  had  embarked  at 
Liverpool  now  went  on  shore  in  this  tender.  There 
were  the  usual  painful  scenes  which  occur  when 
partings  take  place  between  those  who  cannot  sco 
each  other  for  a  long  interval,  or  who  are  doubtful 
about  meeting  again.  A  demonstration,  of  a  marked 
and  unusual  kind,  made  it  evident  that  a  passenger 
of  note  was  on  board.  As  he  stepped  forward  to 
acknowledge  the  greetings  of  those  about  to  depart, 
and  lifted  his  hat  to  return  them,  the  noble  features 
of  a  great  American  poet  were  recognised  by  many 
persons,  who  congratulated  themselves  on  the  good 
fortune  which  had  accidentally  made  them  the 


FROM  THE  MERSEY  TO  THE  HUDSON.      5 

fellow-travellers  of  Mr.  Longfellow,  on  his  return 
home,  after  a  protracted  sojourn  in  Europe. 

The  first  evening  at  sea  was  unmarred  by  any  of 
the  discomforts  which  frequently  attend  those  who 
go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships.  Every  one  ate, 
drank,  and  made  merry.  There  were  many  children 
on  board  the  steamer.  As  they  gambolled  about 
the  deck,  much  more  to  their  own  satisfaction  than 
to  that  of  their  elders,  the  more  cynical  passengers 
remarked  that  the  Irish  Channel  was  almost  too 
smooth  and  the  breeze  too  light.  The  fineness  of 
the  weather  enabled  us  to  view  the  coast  of  Wales 
to  great  advantage.  Places  were  pointed  out 
where  large  ships  had  gone  to  pieces  during  the 
raging  of  the  terrific  storms  of  winter.  For  the 
present  these  dangerous  headlands  were  gazed  at 
with  pleasure  by  those  who  delighted  to  view  with 
out  risk  the  bold,  lugged  outlines  of  stupendous 
cliffs,  which  are  generally  the  terror  of  the  sailor, 
but  were  now  objects  to  be  admired.  At  an  early 
hour  on  Sunday  morning  the  steamer  reached 
Queenstown,  where,  after  a  detention  of  ten  hours, 
the  last  mails  were  embarked ;  and  then  the  voyage 
across  the  ocean  may  be  said  to  have  really  begun. 
Hounding  the  south  coast  of  Ireland,  the  long 
Atlantic  swell  imparted  to  the  steamer  an  amount 


6  WESTWARD  BY  EAIL. 

of  motion  which  cast  down  the  spirits  of  the  bad 
sailors  whose  hearts  had  beat  high  at  the  hope  of  a 
voyage  devoid  of  suffering,  because  made  across  a 
sea  as  placid  as  a  land-locked  bay.  Still,  the  move 
ment  was  not  sufficiently  great  to  produce  incon 
venience  to  the  most  timid  or  sensitive.  Kever 
have  I  witnessed  a  more  beautiful  spectacle  than 
that  which  was  presented  at  nightfall.  It  was  one 
which  no  poet  could  adequately  reproduce  in  words, 
nor  any  painter  in  colours.  The  grand  Atlantic 
waves  were  slowly  heaving  with  a  long  and  mea 
sured  motion;  the  full-orbed  moon  was  set  in  a 
serene  and  cloudless  sky,  and  the  wind  was  still. 
The  spray,  raised  by  the  steamer's  prow  swiftly 
cleaving  the  dark  blue  water,  fell  back  in  a  shower 
of  fire,  or  fitfully  flashed  along  the  steamer's  sides 
in  a  stream  of  dazzling  light.  As  the  moon's  ivory 
beams  quivered  upon  the  agitated  water  in  the 
vessel's  track,  and  mingled  with  one  of  the  phos 
phorescent  flashes  on  the  crests  of  tiny  waves,  the 
combination  of  colours  thus  produced  was  magical 
alike  in  variety  and  vividness.  These  effects,  being 
not  continuous,  but  intermittent,  a  watchful  eye 
had  to  be  kept  for  a  glimpse  of  unexpected  beauties. 
Far  on  into  the  night  did  many  passengers  gaze  on 
the  attractive  and  novel  spectacle,  and  sate  their 
eyes  with  its  loveliness.  It  was  one  which  they 


FROM  THE  MERSEY  TO  THE  HUDSON.     7 

might  never  again  behold  (luring  a  passage  across 
the  Atlantic. 

On  the  morrow  the  scene  changed.  The  angry 
coursers  of  Neptune  were  careering  over  the  deep, 
and  spending  their  fury  against  the  steamer's  stout 
sides.  Strong  head-winds  retarded  her  progress. 
By  not  a  few,  life  on  the  ocean  was  found  to  be 
vexation  of  spirit,  a  burden  too  terrible  to  be  borne 
without  murmuring.  The  noisy  children  of  the 
preceding  day  were  now  lying  like  logs  in  out-of- 
the-way  corners  ;  passengers  who  had  been  jubilant 
as  to  the  prospects  of  the  voyage  now  shook  their 
heads  and  bemoaned  their  lot.  The  attendance  at. 
meals  was  agreeably  select. 

The  state  of  things  during  the  remainder  of  the 
voyage  cannot  be  set  forth  more  truthfully  as 
regards  the  majority  of  the  passengers  than  in  the 
words  which  the  late  Lord  Jeffrey  wrote  in  his 
journal  when  crossing  the  Atlantic  in  1813.  Ac 
cording  to  him,  the  pleasures  of  a  voyage  were  : — 
Imprimis :  Oppression  and  intolerable  sickness,  cold 
ness,  loathing,  and  vertigo.  Sccundo  :  Great  occa 
sional  fear  of  drowning,  and  penitence  for  the  folly 
of  having  come  voluntarily  in  the  way  of  it. 
Tertio :  There  is  the  impossibility  of  taking  any 
exercise,  and  the  perpetual  danger  of  breaking  your 
limbs  if  you  try  to  move  from  your  chair  to  your 


8  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

bed,  or  even  to  sit  still  without  holding.  Quarto  i 
An  incessant  and  tremendous  noise  of  the  ship 
groaning  and  creaking,  cracking  and  rattling — to 
say  nothing  of  the  hissing  of  the  wind,  and  the 
boiling  and  bubbling  of  the  sea.  Quinto :  The 
eternal  contact  of  the  whole  crew,  whom  you  hear, 
see,  feel,  and  smell,  by  day  as  well  as  by  night, 
without  respite  or  possibility  of  escape ;  crying 
children,  chattering  Frenchmen,  prosing  captain, 
and  foolish  women,  all  with  you  for  ever,  and  no 
means  of  getting  out  of  their  hearing.  Sexto  :  The 
provoking  uncertainty  of  your  fate,  now  going 
150  miles  in  one  day  on  your  way,  and  then  taking 
seven  days  to  100 ;  the  agreeable  doubt  whether 
your  voyage  is  to  last  three  weeks  or  three  months. 
Sept  into:  The  horrid  cooking,  and  the  disgusting 
good  appetites  of  those  who  are  used  to  it.  Octavo : 
The  uniformity  and  narrowness  of  your  view  and 
its  great  ugliness.'  Jeffrey  adds,  that  there  arc 
twenty  other  items  which  might  be  mentioned,  but 
these  are  enough. 

Two  of  the  distinguished  contributors  to  the 
renowned  (  Review  '  of  winch  Jeffrey  was  the  dis 
tinguished  editor,  were  more  fortunate  than  he, 
and  they  regarded  a  voyage  not  as  an  affliction  to 
be  dreaded,  but  as  an  opportunity  for  profitable 
reading  and  careful  composition.  When  Sir  Jamc3 


FROM  THE  MERSEY  TO  THE  HUDSON.     9 

Mackintosh  went  to  India  he  learnt  German,  and 
pursued  a  regular  course  of  study  while  on  board 
ship ;  and  on  his  return  voyage  he  studied  meta 
physical  problems,  penned  sketches  of  historical 
characters,  and  composed  the  introduction  to  his 
projected  (  History  of  England.'  Macaulay  is  said 
to  have  turned  a  similar  opportunity  to  account  by 
adding  a  thorough  acquaintance  with  the  works  of 
St.  Chrysostom  to  the  vast  stores  of  his  miscella 
neous  knowledge. 

Those  among  my  fellow-passengers  who  were 
in  good  health  seemed  to  care  little  about  im 
proving  their  minds.  They  smoked;  played  at 
cards ;  watched  the  heaving  of  the  log ;  speculated 
as  to  the  length  of  the  run  made  during  the 
twenty-four  hours ;  were  assiduous  in  eating  all  the 
five  copious  repasts  provided  between  eight  in  the 
morning  and  nine  at  night,  and  were  ready  to 
initiate  novices  into  the  mysteries  of  e  cock-tails.' 
Some  of  them  were  able  to  communicate  pieces 
of  information  much  more  curious  than  useful. 
The  peculiarities  of  English  custom  had  been 
carefully  noted  by  an  American  gentleman,  who 
plumed  himself  upon  the  accuracy  and  extent  of 
his  attainments.  He  expressed  to  me  his  surprise 
at  the  continued  existence  in  England  of  relics  of 
a  more  barbarous  age.  One  monopoly  he  regarded 


10  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

as  peculiarly  obnoxious.  This  was  the  assumed 
necessity  of  a  wedding-ring  being  stamped  by  the 
Goldsmiths'  Company  in  order  to  render  the  mar 
riage  contract  valid  and  binding.  When  I  assured 
him  that,  not  only  was  this  notion  a  pure  fiction, 
but  that  two  persons  could  be  legally  married  in 
England  without  a  wedding-ring  being  used  at  all, 
he  shook  his  head  incredulously,  and  expressed  his 
opinion  that  I  was  not  well  'posted'  as  to  the 
pfactices  and  laws  of  the  country  in  which  I  lived. 

The  sceptics  as  to  the  utility  of  daily  newspapers 
would  change  their  views  after  they  had  been  a 
week  at  sea.  For  the  first  day  or  two  the  several 
passengers  have  some  personal  topics  about  which 
to  converse ;  but  these  are  soon  exhausted,  and  the 
dearth  of  ideas  becomes  painfully  evident.  Gloomy 
dulness  characterises  some,  while  a  childish  qucru- 
lousness  is  manifested  by  others.  Their  minds 
being  no  longer  occupied  in  discussing  the  rise  and 
fall  of  stocks,  the  ins  and  outs  of  politics,  the 
guilt  or  innocence  of  the  last  alleged  criminal,  are 
now  concentrated  on  counting  the  hours  which 
must  elapse  before  they  will  again  set  foot  on 
shore,  or  else  busied  in  finding  fault  with  every 
imaginable  thing.  As  soon  as  the  pilot  brings 
newspapers  on  board,  the  scene  changes.  Tongues 
that  had  been  still,  or  had  been  moved  only  to 


FKOM  THE  MERSEY  TO  THE  HUDSON.          11 

utter  complaints,  now  wag  cheerfully  and  pleasantly 
again.  The  alteration  is  so  great  as  to  be  mar 
vellous.  If  permanently  deprived  of  newspapers, 
Englishmen  and  Americans  would  become  as  taci 
turn  as  Turks. 

When  the  voyage  was  drawing  to  its  end,  a  no 
tice  was  posted  up  outside  of  the  saloon,  to  the  effect 
that  the  Government  of  the  United  States  required 
every  passenger  to  fill  up  a  form  with  particulars 
as  to  age,  occupation,  last  legal  residence,  purpose 
in  visiting  America,  and  as  to  whether  or  not  this 
was  the  first  visit.  Such  an  intimation  took  the 
majority  by  surprise.  If  it  had  emanated  from  the 
despotic  Government  of  Russia,  or  from  the  Go 
vernment  of  the  police-ridden  kingdom  of  Prussia, 
no  surprise  might  have  been  exhibited.  Despots 
are  fond  of  asking  impertinent  questions,  and  are 
wont  to  act  as  if  travellers  ought  to  be  placed  in 
the  same  category  as  the  plague,  and  treated  ac 
cordingly.  While  the  war  lasted,  the  Government 
of  the  United  States  was  justified  in  resorting  to 
the  obnoxious  passport  system,  and  treating  every 
stranger  as  a  foe  or  a  spy  in  disguise.  Happily, 
this  excuse  cannot  be  urged  now  that  treason  has 
been  extinguished  and  the  Union  has  triumphed. 
The  Americans  on  board  were  as  much  puzzled  and 

annoyed   as   the   visitors   to  the  land  of  freedom. 
*          2 


12  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

They  used  vigorous  terms  in  characterising  what 
was  simply  an  indefensible  demand.  They  were  the 
more  angry  because  they  knew  that  a  similar  inter 
ference  with  liberty  of  action  does  not  take  place 
when  a  steamer  nears  the  coast  of  the  United  King 
dom,  and  they  disliked  the  comparison  which  could 
be  drawn  to  the  disadvantage  of  their  own  country. 
The  last  day  of  the  voyage  being  nearly  as  fine 
as  the  first,  a  large  number  of  passengers  mustered 
on  deck  and  occupied  seats  at  table.  To  all  ap 
pearance,  they  had  suffered  severely.  Their  pale 
faces  and  tottering  steps  were  unmistakable  tokens 
of  the  bitterness  of  the  ordeal  through  which  they 
had  passed.  A  newly-married  pair,  who  had  chosen 
to  make  a  wedding-trip  to  America,  instead  of  pay 
ing  the  customary  visit  to  the  continent  of  Europe, 
excited  general  commiseration.  Their  first  ten 
days  of  matrimony  had  been  the  reverse  of  blissful 
and  satisfactory.  Of  the  two,  the  gentleman  was 
the  more  thoroughly  prostrated.  He  resembled 
one  who,  having  been  smitten  with  a  malignant 
fever,  had  barely  escaped  with  his  life.  An  elderly 
American  lady  was  in  some  respects  a  spectacle 
still  more  deplorable.  From  the  moment  that  the 
steamer  had  begun  to  rock,  she  felt  convinced  that 
her  death  was  imminent.  Nearly  every  time  that 
the  vessel  lurched  and  pitched  she  believed  that  a 


FROM  THE  MERSEY  TO  THE  HUDSON.    13 

catastrophe  was  at  hand.  Her  husband  vainly 
tried  to  reassure  her.  He  began  by  speaking 
soothing  and  inspiriting  words,  but  without  success. 
Appeals  to  her  common  sense  were  in  like  manner 
disregarded.  Nor  did  strong  and  threatening  lan 
guage  have  any  better  result.  In  truth,  the  poor 
lady  was  thoroughly  unnerved,  and  had  temporarily 
ceased  to  be  able  to  control  herself.  The  sight  of 
land  gave  her  a  certain  relief,  but  her  longing  to 
be  safely  on  shore  ag;iin  was  intensified  by  the 
prospect. 

The  approach  to  New  York  by  sea  has  been  eulo 
gised  in  glowing  terms,  yet  nothing  that  has  been 
said  or  written  outstrips  the  reality.  The  most 
high-flown  anticipations  are  gratified  to  the  full. 
After  Sandy  Hook  is  passed,  the  panorama  on 
either  side  is  most  beautiful.  On  the  right,  the 
shore  of  Long  Island,  with  its  white  beach  and 
rows  of  neat  houses,  may  be  perceived  in  the  dis 
tance.  On  the  left,  the  luxuriant  foliage  and  the 
dark  green  vegetation  remind  the  English  traveller 
of  the  richest  and  most  charming  rising  grounds  in 
Kent.  The  water  is  studded  with  steamers  and 
sailing  vessels.  In  the  distance  are  islands  covered 
with  verdure,  and  in  the  background  are  the  masses 
of  redbrick  buildings  which  constitute  the  chief 
city  of  the  Empire  State.  Conspicuous  among  tho 


14  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

various  structures  is  a  towering  edifice,  imposing  in 
outline  and  white  in  colour.  I  was  told  that  this 
was  the  office  of  the  New  York  Herald.  There  is 
something  alike  significant  and  appropriate  in  the 
fact  that  the  office  of  one  of  the  most  enterprising 
among  American  newspapers  should  be  the  most 
conspicuous  object  beheld  by  the  stranger  who  ap 
proaches  New  York  from  the  sea. 

The  landing-stage  of  the  Cunard  steamers  is  at 
Jersey  City,  on  the  side  of  the  river  immediately 
opposite  to  New  York.  To  pass  his  effects  through 
the  Custom  House  is  the  traveller's  first  task.  This 
office  is  as  dingy  and  uncomfortable  a  place  as  any 
one  of  the  sort  to  be  met  with  elsewhere.  Thinking 
that  the  rules  which  were  in  force  here  resembled 
those  of  the  Custom  Houses  of  the  Old  World,  I 
first  hunted  for  my  luggage,  and  then,  having  found 
it,  waited  patiently  till  an  officer  was  disengaged. 
On  appealing  to  one  who  was  unemployed,  I  was 
told  that,  before  the  examination  could  take  place, 
I  should  have  to  fill  up  and  sign  a  paper  describing 
the  various  articles  I  had  with  me.  I  went  to  the 
official  who  gave  out  and  countersigned  those  papers. 
He  was  seated,  quietly  smoking  a  cigar,  and  indis 
posed  to  say  much  in  response  to  those  who  plied 
him  with  questions  and  requests.  He  was  addressed 
as  ( Judge.'  He  certainly  did  not  display  any 


FROM  THE  MERSEY  TO  THE  HUDSON.          15 

interest   in  the   proceedings,  or  show    much   con 
cern  for  those  who  were  most  anxious  to  obey  his 
orders.     After  glancing  at  and  countersigning  my 
paper,  he  returned  it,  and  then  I  had  little  trouble 
in  getting  the  examination  completed.  Varying  and 
contradictory  statements  have  been  made  about  the 
conduct  of  the  American  Custom  House  officers.     I 
was  told  that  they  were  the  most  exacting,  over 
bearing,  and  detestable  of  any  upon  earth.     My 
own  experience  did  not  bear  out  this  opinion.    They 
seemed  to  be  overworked.     So  many  articles  being 
liable  to  duty,  the  search  they  make  must  neces 
sarily  be  minute.     The  examination  of  my  luggage 
was  most  thorough ;   but  of  ill-manners,  or  of  an 
intentional  desire  to  give  annoyance,  I  could  not 
detect  a  trace.     Indeed,  a  Prussian  Custom  House 
officer  would  not  only  have  given  me  more  trouble, 
but  he  would  also  have  done  his  part  in  a  way  which 
proved  that  he  gloried  in  the  opportunity  to  be 
disagreeable  and  inquisitorial.     Nor  would  he  have 
acted  like  his  American  brother,  and  helped  to  re- 
fasten  the  articles  which  had  been  laboriously  opened 
for  his  inspection.    If  this  officer  expected  to  receive 
a  bribe  for  neglecting  his  duty,  or  a  gratuity  for 
showing  civility,  his  manner  belied  his  thoughts.    It 
may  be  that  these  officials  are  corrupt,  and  that  a 
money  present  will  cause  them  to  be  conveniently 


16  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

shortsighted.  But  the  persons  who  should  share 
the  blame  are  those  who  tempt  them  to  betray  their 
trust.  Several  of  my  fellow-passengers,  who  had 
various  effects  on  which  duty  was  chargeable, 
boasbd  of  the  immunity  which  they  had  purchased 
for  a  sovereign.  If  a  tithe  of  what  I  heard  were 
true,  then  the  utmost  vigilance  of  the  officers  is 
required  in  order  to  circumvent  the  stratagems  of 
dishonest  travellers.  An  English  acquaintance,  who 
meant  no  harm,  but  whose  manner  was  a  little  too 
abrupt  to  please  the  officials  of  the  Republic,  had 
some  reason  to  complain  of  the  treatment  he  re 
ceived.  He  was  a  solicitor,  of  high  standing  and  in 
large  practice,  who  had  determined  to  improve  his 
holiday  by  paying  a  hurried  visit  to  the  United 
States.  He  would  as  soon  think  of  smuggling  as 
of  committing  the  smallest  breach  of  professional 
etiquette.  An  officer,  who  was  too  astute  by  half, 
fancied  that  this  gentleman  had  resolved  upon  sur 
reptitiously  importing  watches  into  the  Great  Re 
public.  Being  sharply  questioned  as  to  whether  or 
not  he  had  more  than  one  watch  in  his  possession, 
my  acquaintance,  astonished  at  the  query,  replied 
in  a  manner  that  seemed  to  confirm  the  suspicion 
which  his  demeanour  had  excited.  To  his  surprise 
and  annoyance,  he  was  ordered  to  step  into  a  room, 
where  he  was  subjected  to  a  minute  personal  search. 


FROM  THE  MERSEY  TO  THE  HUDSON.          17 

The  natural  conclusion  is  that  an  American  Custom 
House  has  its  good  and  its  bad  side ;  that  the  offi 
cers  are  neither  wholly  immaculate  nor  uniformly 
unbearable;  that  the  warning  against  being  too 
precipitate  ought  to  be  carefully  observed  there; 
that  patience  and  courtesy  go  a  great  way  towards 
ensuring  considerate  treatment ;  that  much  depends 
on  the  temperament,  the  manners,  and  the  appear 
ance  of  the  individual  and  not  a  little  on  the  merest 
chance  whether  a  traveller  shall  denounce  all  con 
nected  with  it  in  the  harshest  terms  of  opprobrium, 
or  speak  of  its  officials  as  persons  who  discharge  a 
difficult  duty  in  a  rational  and  defensible  manner, 
and  admit  that  they  are  neither  much  superior  nor 
vastly  inferior  to  Custom  House  officials  all  over 
the  world. 

There  is  nothing  strange  or  foreign  to  English 
eyes  in  New  York  when  beheld  for  the  first  time. 
The  impression  made  on  the  traveller  who,  after 
having  crossed  the  straits  of  Dover  and  landed  at 
Boulogne  or  Calais,  sees  French  soldiers  in  their 
national  uniform,  workmen  in  their  blue  blouses, 
servant  girls  in  their  neat  white  caps  ;  who  notices 
the  peculiar  arrangement  of  the  shops,  with  prices 
marked  in  a  foreign  currency  and  signs  printed  in  a 
foreign  tongue ;  who  hears  the  people  on  every  side 
conversing  in  a  language  which  he  never  heard 


18  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

spoken  before,  is  an  impression  far  more  startling 
and  lasting  than  that  which  his  mind  receives  after 
the  long  voyage  of  three  thousand  miles  is  over 
and  he  alights  in  the  streets  of  New  York.  If  the 
feeling  be  one  of  disappointment  at  the  absence  of 
marked  novelty  in  the  spectacle,  it  is  dispelled  as 
socn  as  he  enters  one  of  the  monster  hot  els  for  which 
America  is  famous.  He  then  becomes  conscious  of 
the  fact  that  Liverpool  and  London,  Edinburgh  and 
Dublin  are  indeed  far  away,  and  he  discovers  that 
any  experience  he  may  have  gained  when  travelling 
through  France,  Germany,  and  Italy  avails  him 
nothing.  All  the  arrangements  are  new  to  him :  he 
is  emphatically  an  ignorant  and  bewildered  foreigner 
in  an  English-speaking  land.  Fortunately,  he  has 
not  much  trouble  in  learning  the  ways  of  the  house. 
The  arrangements  are  as  simple  as  they  are  com 
plete.  Many  of  them  are  admirable.  They  are 
designed  so  as  to  combine  the  maximum  of  comfort 
to  the  visitor  with  the  minimum  of  labour  on  the 
part  of  the  servants.  Grumblers  who  would  stig 
matise  Paradise  as  a  detestable  place  of  abode  if  it 
differed  in  petty  details  from  the  land  of  their  birth, 
have  written  bitter  things  about  the  hotels  of  New 
York  and  have  been  far  too  successful  in  mislead 
ing  and  prejudicing  the  English  readers  of  their 
books.  The  truth  is  that  in  the  Old  World  there 


FEOM  THE  MERSEY  TO  THE  HUDSON.          1U 

arc  royal  palaces  in  which  the  occupants  are  less 
luxuriously  housed  and  enjoy  a  smaller  share  of 
life's  minor  comforts  than  would  be  their  lot  if  they 
sojourned  in  the  splendid  and  well-appointed  hotels 
which  have  been  erected  in  the  United  States  for 
the  reception  and  use  of  the  Sovereign  People. 


20  WESTWARD  LY  HAIL, 


II. 

NEW  YORK  TO  SAN  FRANCISCO:   THE  ROUTES 
TO   THE  WEST. 

WHEN  I  first  saw  New  York  it  did  not  appear  to 
me  a  foreign  city  in  the  same  sense  as  Paris,  or 
Frankfort,  or  Milan.  A  closer  and  more  leisurely 
examination  produced  a  different  impression.  To 
walk  along  Broadway  recalls  a  walk  along  Regent 
Street,  but  it  also  recalls  a  walk  along  the  Hue 
de  la  Paix.  What  seems  to  be  English  is  rivalled, 
if  not  outdone,  by  what  is  unmistakably  French, 
while  many  things  have  neither  a  French,  nor  an 
English  impress.  The  architectural  effects  are  ex 
traordinary  in  their  variety.  The  want  of  simplicity 
and  repose  is  as  marked  as  the  absence  of  a  dis 
tinctively  national  style.  Everyone  has  apparently 
followed  the  bent  of  his  fancy,  and  the  straining 
after  originality  has  led  to  a  confusion  of  ideas  and 
a  clashing  of  aims. 

All  nationalities  seem  to  have  sent  their  repre 
sentatives  ta  this  city.  Half  the  languages  of 
Europe  are  spoken  by  the  motley  gathering.  The 


NEW  YORK  TO  SAN  FEANCISCO.  21 

English  tongue  is  in  the  ascendant;  but  the  eye 
fails  to  see  many  figures  or  faces  to  match  the  here 
ditary  language.  The  ladies  are  dressed  after  the 
latest  French  mode,  yet  the  fashion  of  their  apparel 
is  the  only  thing  they  have  borrowed  from  Paris. 
Their  looks  are  native  to  the  soil,  and  to  call  them 
good  is  not  to  speak  of  them  in  language  suffi 
ciently  eulogistic.  The  men  are  dressed  with  a 
regard  for  appearances  which  is  more  common  in 
Paris  than  in  London.  There  is  none  of  the  uni 
formity  in  their  attire  which  is  akin  to  monotony. 
All  do  not  seem  to  have  been  condemned,  by  a  law 
which  cannot  he  gainsaid,  to  wear  the  same  hideous 
hat.  The  c  wideawake  '  is  as  common  as  the 
c  chimney  pot '  and  the  mixture  of  the  two  produces 
a  pleasing  effect. 

The  purity  of  the  air  is  delicious.  If  a  dwelling 
be  built  of  marole,  or  brick,  or  stone,  the  beholder 
has  no  difficulty  in  pronouncing  as  to  the  nature  of 
the  material,  and  has  the  satisfaction  of  duly  appre 
ciating  the  whiteness  of  the  delicate  marble,  the- 
warmth  of  the  brick,  the  solidity  of  the  stone.  The 
principal  streets  are  broad :  the  principal  squares 
are  spacious.  The  several  Avenues  which  run 
parallel  to  each  other  throughout  the  greater  part 
of  the  city  are  so  wide  that  the  tramways  which  are 
laid  in  them  do  not  in  the  slightest  degree  interfere 


22  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

with  tlic  traffic.  For  the  passage  of  all  conveyances 
there  is  room  enough  and  to  spare.  At  the  upper 
end  of  the  city  is  the  Central  Park.  This  public 
ground  covers  an  area  of  more  than  800  acres.  It 
is  laid  out  in  a  style  resembling  the  Bois  de  Bou 
logne  rather  than  Hyde  Park  and  Kensington 
Gardens.  Several  years  hence  when  the  trees  shall 
have  attained  their  full  height  the  Central  Park  will 
be  second  to  no  other  place  of  the  kind. 

Quite  as  remarkable  as  the  cosmopolitan  aspect 
of  New  York  streets  is  the  contrast  between  the 
different  portions  of  the  city.  The  business  quarter 
has  a  finished  and  substantial  look ;  the  offices  seem 
as  if  they  had  been  built  for  some  time.  Proceed 
ing  westward  the  several  edifices  are  evidently 
built  for  show  and  are  apparently  of  comparatively 
recent  date.  In  the  former  case  the  buildings  have 
a  money-making  impress  upon  them :  in  the  latter 
the  stamp  of  the  successful  millionaire  is  unmis- 
takeable.  From  the  fine  mansions  of  the  rich  in  a 
fashionable  Avenue,  the  transition  is  rapid  to  the 
miserable  shanty  of  the  Irish  squatter.  At  the 
one  end  gorgeous  carriages  roll  along :  at  the  other 
geese  are  feeding  among  the  grass.  Another  con 
trast  is  that  between  the  splendour  of  the  buildings 
and  the  wretchedness  of  the  pavement.  The  streets 
arc  filled  with  ruts.  For  this  the  City  Fathers  arc 


NEW  YORK  TO  SAN  FRANCISCO.  23 

severely  censured;  but  they  can  afford  to  brave  the 
indignation  of  their  fellow-citizens  so  long  as  they 
are  permitted  to  hold  office  and  to  deal  with  the 
funds  at  their  disposal  in  the  manner  most  pleasing 
to  themselves. 

In  my  opinion  scant  justice  has  yet  been  done  to 
New  York  on  the  whole.  It  has  its  drawbacks,  as 
has  every  city  on  the  face  of  the  globe,  but  it  pos 
sesses  excellencies  which  more  than  outweigh  them. 
The  man  of  business  finds  it  as  good  a  centre  for 
his  operations  as  London.  The  pleasure-seeker 
can  amuse  himself  as  well  as  in  Paris,  while  men 
of  letters  and  students  of  art  affirm  that  the  pros 
pects  of  New  York  becoming  an  honoured  home 
of  literature  and  art  grow  brighter  every  day. 

Before  beginning  my  journey  by  rail  from  the 
Atlantic  coast  to  the  Pacific  slope,  I  had  to  ascer 
tain  various  particulars  as  to  the  route.  There  was 
no  difficulty  in  purchasing  a  through  ticket.  In 
most  of  the  hotels  and  in  numerous  shops  the 
tickets  of  any  railway  in  the  United  States  can  be 
bought.  Although  the  Pacific  railway  is  constantly 
spoken  of  as  a  line  which  actually  runs  between 
New  York  and  San  Francisco,  yet  this  is  merely  a 
conventional  way  of  stating  the  fact  that  there  is 
communication  by  rail  between  the  two  cities.  A 
traveller  can  journey  in  a  railway  carriage  from 


24  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

Dover  to  Inverness,  but  there  is  no  such  t.iing  as  a 
Dover  and  Inverness  Railway.  He  has  the  choice 
of  two  lines  of  rail  between  Dover  and  London, 
of  three  between  London  and  Edinburgh  and  of 
two  over  a  part  of  the  remainder  of  the  route.  If 
a  stranger  to  the  country,  he  may  be  embarrassed 
with  this  variety  and  be  at  a  loss  what  selection  to 
make.  So  it  is  at  New  York.  The  stranger  sees 
innumerable  advertisements  in  which  Union  Pacific 
Railroad  is  conspicuous,  but  in  which  the  names  of 
various  lines  are  enumerated  as  being  in  connection 
with  it.  He  reads  in  one  that  the  f  Allentown  Line ' 
is  the  shortest  and  the  best;  in  another  that  the 
*  Great  Central  Route '  is  indisputably  without  a 
rival ;  he  may  even  see  the  advantages  of  the  ill- 
fated  Erie  Railway  extolled  to  the  skies.  As  the 
fare  in  all  cases  is  the  same  the  puzzle  consists  in 
ascertaining  the  respective  merits  of  the  competing 
lines.  He  learns  that  in  any  event  he  must  first 
reach  Chicago.  If,  as  is  possible,  the  name  of 
Niagara  has  an  attraction  for  him  and  if,  as  is  very 
natural,  he  is  curious  to  become  acquainted  with 
the  far-famed  *  Pullman's  Cars,'  he  will  probably 
decide  upon  travelling  by  the  *  Great  Central 
Route '  and  in  doing  so  he  will  have  no  reason  to 
repent  of  his  decision.  Should  time  be  no  object, 
he  cannot  do  better  than  ascend  the  Hudson  River 


NEW  YORK  TO  SAN  FRANCISCO.  25 

in  a  steamboat  to  Albany  and  enter  the  train  there 
instead  of  at  New  York.  The  scenery  of  the 
Hudson  has  been  highly  lauded,  but  not  over 
praised.  It  is  quite  as  romantic  as  that  of  the 
llhine.  In  the  autumn  the  aspect  of  the  woods  on 
the  river's  banks  and  heights  clothed  in  the  gor 
geous  tints  of  that  season  is  a  spectacle  of  wonder 
ful  beauty.  The  vine-clad  hills  between  Coblentz 
and  Bingen,  when  seen  at  their  best,  cannot  match 
the  Hudson  in  its  most  picturesque  parts.  Nature 
has  done  much  for  that  river.  One  thing,  however, 
is  wanting  to  render  it  as  famous  as  its  European 
rival ;  the  Hudson  has  not  yet  had  its  Byron. 
While  no  great  poet  has  rendered  it  attractive  by 
his  inspired  verse,  a  steamboat  company  has  endea 
voured  to  create  an  interest  of  a  more  prosaic  and 
more  practical  kind.  The  steamers  which  ply 
between  New  York  and  Albany  are  marvels  in 
their  way.  To  call  them  'floating  palaces'  is  not 
the  language  of  hyperbole,  but  is  the  simple  truth. 
Let  me  suppose  that  the  (  Great  Central  Route  ' 
has  been  chosen  and  that  the  traveller  bound  for 
the  Far  "\Yest  starts  from  New  York  in  the  evening 
by  the  Pacific  Express.  On  the  morning  of  the 
following  day  he  arrives  at  Rochester,  where 
(  Pullman's  Palace  Cars '  are  attached  to  the  train ; 
he  gets  a  good  view  of  Niagara  Falls  as  the  train 


20  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

slowly  crosses  the  bridge  over  the  boiling  rapids, 
sees  a  large  portion  of  the  Western  section  of 
Canada,  and  then,  after  having  passed  two  nights 
and  one  day  in  a  railway  carriage  and  traversed  a 
distance  of  900  miles,  he  arrives  at  Chicago. 

The  lines  of  Railway  over  which  this  train  runs 
are  the  Hudson  River,  the  New  York  Central,  the 
Great  Western  of  Canada,  and  the  Michigan 
Central.  The  present  was  the  first  occasion  on 
which  I  had  travelled  over  the  Great  Western  of 
Canada.  By  Canadians  I  heard  this  line  very 
highly  praised.  Like  the  Grand  Trunk  it  has  been 
constructed  with  English  capital  and  belongs  to  an 
English  company.  Its  shareholders  are  much  more 
fortunate  than  the  investors  in  the  Grand  Trunk, 
inasmuch  as,  while  the  directors  of  the  Great 
Western  declare  dividends,  the  directors  of  the 
Grand  Trunk  apologise  year  after  year  for  their 
inability  to  do  likewise.  The  reason  is  that  the 
Great  Western  runs  through  a  dividend-producing 
country  and  has  enjoyed  an  immunity  from  the 
trials  which  have  crippled  the  hands  of  the  mana 
gers  of  the  Grand  Trunk. 

The  misfortune  of  the  latter  is,  that,  owing  to 
various  circumstances,  it  has  been  a  bone  of  conten 
tion  between  opposing  political  parties.  One  side 
has  upheld  and  assisted,  while  the  other  has  dc- 


NEY7  YORK  TO  SAN  FRANCISCO.  27 

nounccd  it.  Having  had  to  look  to  the  Govern 
ment  for  assistance,  its  managers  have  heretofore 
been  compelled  to  keep  on  good  terms  with  the 
Ministry  of  the  day,  and  have  more  than  once  as 
sented  to  propositions  which,  if  wholly  free  agents, 
they  might  have  declined.  As  a  natural  conse 
quence,  not  only  has  the  company  had  to  make 
many  sacrifices,  but  its  efforts  to  give  satisfaction 
have  proved  futile.  Of  late  years  the  company 
has  endeavoured  to  break  away  from  an  alliance 
which  has  proved  the  source  of  injury  and  discord. 
It  would  be  an  exaggeration  to  say  that  Canadians 
have  ceased  to  revile  the  Grand  Trunk ;  yet  it  is 
certain  that  the  desire  to  give  it  fair  play  is  more 
generally  manifested  now  than  at  any  former  period 
in  its  history,  while  its  prospects  are  brighter  and 
more  encouraging  than  they  have  ever  been  before. 
Its  more  fortunate  competitor,  the  Great  Western, 
has  had  no  trials  of  an  equally  severe  kind  to 
endure.  The  losses  occasioned  by  the  depreciated 
American  paper-money  have  been  the  chief  draw 
backs  to  its  prosperity  during  the  past  few  years. 
It  is  a  dividend-paying  line.  Probably  in  conse 
quence  of  this  it  is  in  many  respects  superior  to 
others  which  have  considerable  difficulty  in  pro 
curing  the  capital  requisite  for  the  purpose  of 
keeping  the  permanent  way  in  good  repair  and 


28  WESTWARD  BY  BAIL. 

condition.  The  train  -whirls  along  the  Great 
Western  line  not  only  at  a  rapid  rate,  but  also 
without  the  immoderate  jolting  and  oscillation 
which  are  common  incidents  on  Canadian  and 
American  railways. 

Hamilton  is  the  first  Canadian  city  of  note  fit 
which  a  stoppage  is  made.  Situated  at  the  western 
extremity  of  Lake  Ontario,  and  having  communi 
cation  by  water  and  rail  with  the  principal  cities  of 
Canada  and  with  the  capitals  of  the  Eastern  States  of 
America,  the  city  of  Hamilton  has  many  chances  in  its 
favour  It  has  prospered  hitherto,  notwithstanding 
the  mistakes  made  by  those  of  its  citizens  who,  in 
their  eagerness  to  advance,  incurred  an  amount  of 
indebtedness  which  they  found  it  difficult  to  dis 
charge  to  the  perfect  satisfaction  of  many  English 
bond-holders.  However,  the  days  of  rash  specula 
tion  are  said  to  have  passed  away,  and  the  lessons 
learned  have  been  profitable.  At  Hamilton  station 
the  passengers  dine,  with  the  exception  of  those 
who  are  so  fortunate  as  to  have  secured  seats  in  the 
Hotel  Car  attached  to  the  train.  The  occupants  of 
this  car  take  their  meals  f  on  board.'  I  had  heard 
much  said  in  praise  of  *  Pullman's  Palace  Cars,'  but 
I  was  unprepared  for  the  reality.  The  first  trip  in 
one  of  these  cars  forms  an  epoch  in  a  traveller's  life. 
To  one  accustomed  to  English  railway  carriages 


NE\V  YORK  TO  SAN  FRANCISCO.  29 

they  are  specially  welcome.  The  contrast  between 
the  waggon  in  which  Roderick  Random  journeyed 
to  London  and  a  modern  carnage  is  not  much 
greater  than  the  contrast  between  life  on  the  rail  in 
an  English  first-class  carriage  and  in  a  Pullman's 
car.  In  order  to  form  a  fair  notion  of  the  character 
of  the  latter  it  is  but  necessary  to  recall  the  descrip 
tions  of  those  luxurious  saloon  carriages  which  the 
directors  of  our  railways  have  had  constructed  for 
the  use  of  the  Queen.  No  Royal  personage  can  be 
more  comfortably  housed  than  the  occupant  of  a 
Pullman  car,  provided  the  car  be  an  hotel  one. 
In  the  train  by  which  I  travelled,  one  out  of  the 
three  sleeping  cars  was  of  the  latter  description. 
The  Hotel  Car  is  divided  into  sections,  forming  state 
rooms,  wherein  parties  of  four  can  be  accommodated. 
Between  these  rooms  are  seats  arranged  in  the 
usual  way.  At  the  rear  is  a  kitchen,  which,  though 
small,  contains  every  appliance  necessary  for  cook 
ing  purposes.  There  are  water  tanks,  in  which  is 
stored  a  supply  of  water  for  washing  and  drinking 
sufficient  to  last  the  journey.  A  wine  cellar  con 
tains  the  liquors  which  are  likely  to  be  in  demand, 
and  an  ice-house  preserves  ice  for  the  gratification 
of  those  who  prefer  cold  beverages.  At  stated 
intervals  the  conductor  walks  round,  taking  the 
passengers'  orders,  who  make  their  selections  from 


30  WESTWARD  EY  RAIT,. 

the  bill  of  fare.  The  choice  is  by  no  means  small. 
Five  different  kinds  of  bread,  four  sorts  of  cold 
meat,  six  hot  dishes,  to  say  nothing  of  eggs  cooked 
in  seven  different  ways,  and  all  the  seasonable  vege 
tables  and  fruits,  form  a  variety  from  which  the  most 
dainty  eater  might  easily  find  something  to  tickle 
his  palate,  and  the  ravenous  to  satisfy  his  appetite. 
The  meal  is  served  on  a  table  temporarily  fixed  to 
the  side  of  the  car,  and  removed  when  no  longer 
required.  To  breakfast,  dine,  and  sup  in  this  style 
while  the  train  is  speeding  along  at  the  rate  of 
nearly  thirty  miles  an  hour,  is  a  sensation  of  which 
the  novelty  is  not  greater  than  the  comfort.  An 
additional  zest  is  given  to  the  good  things  by  the 
thought  that  the  passengers  in  the  other  cars  must 
rush  out  when  the  refreshment  station  is  reached, 
and  hastily  swallow  an  ill-cooked  meal.  It  is  pro 
posed  to  construct  dining  cars  which  will  be  at  the 
service  of  all  who  travel  by  the  train,  and  when 
this  is  done,  the  limit  to  improvement  will  almost 
have  been  reached.  Yet  it  would  be  a  mistake  to 
assign  any  bounds  to  the  possibilities  connected  with 
railway  travel  in  the  United  States,  and  in  the 
Western  States  in  particular.  No  prejudices  exist 
against  novelties,  nor  are  the  directors  of  the  several 
companies  able  to  scorn  the  demands  of  the  travel 
ling  public  for  increased  comforts  and  conveniences. 


NEW  YOKE  TO  SAN  FRANCISCO.  31 

So  many  railways  run  between  the  same  points  that 
competition  forces  each  company  to  outbid  its  rivals. 
In  other  countries  reduction  of  the  fares  would  be 
the  course  adopted  under  like  circumstances.  Here,, 
the  lowncss  of  price  is  less  considered  than  the 
amount  of  comfort  obtainable  on  a  particular  line, 
as  well  as  the  shortness  of  the  time  occupied  by  the 
journey.  Thus  the  rivalry  has  taken  the  form  of 
providing  cars  resembling  that  described,  and  thus 
it  is  that  railway  travelling  in  America  is  assuming 
the  form  of  luxury  tempered  by  accidents.  The 
wonder  is  that  more  accidents  do  not  happen. 
Many  of  the  railways  are  single  lines,  hence  the 
risks  are  multiplied  as  the  traffic  increases.  The 
probability  of  a  wrecked  train  being  ignited  by 
the  burning  embers  scattered  from  the  stove  adds 
another  horror  to  the  prospect.  Still,  when  due 
allowance  is  made  for  all  things,  it  must  be  admitted 
that  the  comparatively  small  number  of  railway 
accidents  is  very  remarkable. 

Meantime,  the  train  has  been  speeding  on  its 
course  towards  Chicago.  Paris  has  been  left  behind, 
a  place  of  which  the  name  alone  recalls  the  capital 
of  France.  More  familiar  to  an  English  ear  is 
London,  with  its  river  Thames  and  its  Middlesex. 
At  last  Windsor  is  reached.  This  is  the  frontier 
town  of  this  part  of  Canada.  The  river  Detroit 


32  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

separates  the  United  States  from  the  Dominion,  and 
across  it  the  train  is  transported  on  a  large  flat- 
bottomed  steamer.  From  Detroit  the  journey  is 
made  on  American  soil  through  the  State  of 
Indiana  and  of  Illinois.  The  country  as  seen  from 
the  window  of  the  railway  carriage  is  not  prepos 
sessing.  The  land  may  be  very  fertile,  but  it  is 
certainly  very  swampy.  Many  of  the  farmhouses 
must  be  unhealthy  places  of  abode.  Contrary  to 
Ricardo's  theory  of  rent,  the  least  valuable  lands 
would  appear  to  have  been  first  brought  under 
cultivation.  When  Lake  Michigan  comes  in  sight, 
the  objects  that  arrest  attention  are  the  sand 
hills,  which,  for  a  considerable  distance,  line  its 
shore.  These  heaps  and  flats  of  sand  give  to  the 
lake  a  maritime  aspect,  which  the  waves  rolling 
shorewards  tend  to  increase.  Indeed,  it  is  hardly 
possible  to  realise  the  fact  of  these  huge  sheets  of 
water  forming  no  part  of  the  great  ocean.  The 
vessels  which  navigate  them  are  to  all  appearance 
the  same  as  the  vessels  which  sail  across  the 
Atlantic,  while  the  storms  on  these  lakes  are  as 
terrific  and  disastrous  as  any  which  make  the  open 
sea  the  theatre  of  ruin  and  terror.  Finally,  the 
train  runs  in  front  of  handsome  dwellings,  which  not 
only  represent  Chicago,  but  which  line  one  of  its 
most  fashionable  avenues.  A  man  appears  who  sells 


NEW  YORK  TO  SAN  FRANCISCO.  33 

tickets  to  those  who  purpose  going  by  omnibus  to 
an  hotel,  the  price  being  half  a  dollar.  lie  also 
takes  charge  of  the  luG^age  checks.  By  taking  a 

Z3  OO     O  */  O 

check  from  him  in  exchange  for  that  procured  at 
starting,  the  traveller  finds  his  luggage  safely 
deposited  at  any  address  he  may  give.  In  this  way 
much  subsequent  confusion  and  inconvenience  are 
saved.  At  the  station,  a  notice  in  a  conspicuous 
place  arrests  the  attention  of  the  traveller.  It  is  a 
warning  against  lending  money  to  strangers.  This 
excites  a  suspicion  adverse  to  the  sharpness,  and 
favourable  to  the  generosity  of  the  travelling  public 
in  America. 


34  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 


III. 

THE  GARDEN  CITY. 

IF  the  Michigan  Central  Railway  express  train 
arrives  punctually  at  Chicago  there  is  no  difficulty 
in  continuing  the  journey  towards  the  Pacific. 
Seventy-five  minutes  are  allowed  for  getting  from 
the  station  of  arrival  to  the  station  of  departure. 
In  my  own  case  the  times  of  the  trains  did  not 
correspond  ;  the  one  train  had  started  an  hour  before 
the  other  arrived.  This  was  not  the  only  illustra 
tion  in  my  experience  of  a  want  of  punctuality  on 
the  part  of  American  railway  companies.  My 
fellow-passengers  took  the  disappointment  very 
quietly,  regarding  the  shortcoming  as  a  matter  of 
course.  This  failure  involved  a  delay  of  twenty- 
four  hours,  as  there  is  but  one  through  train  daily 
over  the  Pacific  line.  As  I  had  intended  to  make 
a  brief  sojourn  in  Chicago,  I  was  even  more  uncon 
cerned  than  my  philosophical  fellow-travellers. 

By  the    residents  Chicago   is   often    styled   the 
'  Garden  City.'     Both  its  citizens  and  its  admirers 


THE  GARDEN  CITY.  35 

sometimes  claim  for  it  the  still  more  dignified  title 
of  the  (  Queen  City  of  the  West,'  or  the  c  Queen 
City  of  the  Lakes.'  The  pride  they  take  in  it  is 
extreme,  and  the  language  in  which  they  express 
their  feelings  is  high-flown.  This  appears  quite 
natural  to  the  traveller  who  has  journeyed  from 
England  to  the  United  States  in  order  to  witness 
the  marvels  which  human  industry  and  energy  have 
wrought  on  the  surface  of  the  vast  American  con 
tinent.  Books  and  newspapers  may  have  prepared 
him  for  an  extraordinary  spectacle,  yet  neither 
tables  of  statistics  nor  any  printed  statements  can 
enable  him  to  realise  the  grandeur  of  the  impression 
produced  by  a  stay,  however  short,  in  the  modern 
city  of  Chicago.  With  a  sensation  of  incredulity 
hardly  to  be  repressed,  he  listens  to  the  stories 
which  tell  of  the  city's  foundation  and  history. 
Forty  years  have  not  yet  elapsed  since  the  site  of 
palatial  dwellings  was  distinguished  from  the  sur 
rounding  wilderness  by  a  log  fort,  in  which  two 
companies  of  soldiers  were  stationed  for  the  protec 
tion  of  a  few  traders  who  collected  furs  front  the 
Indians  in  exchange  for  trinkets.  In  those  days 
civilized  men  regarded  a  visit  to  the  shores  of  Lake 
Michigan  much  in  the  same  light  »vhich  many  per 
sons  now  regard  a  visit  to  the  sources  of  the  Nile. 

Those  who  made   the  journey  had  to  brave  the 
3 


36  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

attacks  of  ferocious  animals  ;  had  to  face  the  perils 
incident  to  an  inhospitable  and  uncultivated  region ; 
had  to  live  in  constant  dread  of  an  attack  from 
Indians  more  deliberately  cruel  than  any  beast,  and 
more  crafty  than  any  other  enemy  in  human  shape. 
The  wild  men  and  wild  animals  have  both  dis 
appeared.  The  land  which  once  yielded  a  pre 
carious  subsistence  to  the  hunter  now  repays  the 
skilful  farmer  one  hundred-fold.  Where  weeds 
formerly  throve  in  rank  profusion,  peach  trees  are 
now  heavy  with  precious  fruit.  A  city  of  palaces 
has  taken  the  place  of  a  few  miserable  hovels. 
Similar  transformations  have  occurred  in  other  parts 
of  the  globe.  Venice  and  Holland  do  not  fall  short 
of  Chicago  as  evidences  of  what  man  can  achieve  in 
his  struggle  with  rugged  Nature  and  hostile  ele 
ments.  Yet  the  growth  of  either  city  was  the  work 
of  many  years,  as  well  as  of  much  toil ;  whereas 
Chicago  has  waxed  great  and  famous  within  the 
memory  of  men  still  living,  and  not  yet  old.  If 
another  Queen  Scheherazade  were  compelled  to  re- 
hearf  e  a  tale  of  enchantment  for  the  gratification  of 
an  exacting  husband,  she  might  find  in  the  au 
thentic  story  of  the  rise  of  Chicago  materials  which 
would  produce  a  result  as  striking  as  that  caused  by 
a  recital  of  the  fabulous  doings  of  Aladdin. 

Although  figures  convey  but  an  imperfect  notion 


THE  GAEDEN  CITY.  37 

of  the  wonders  performed  by  the  spirited  and  enter 
prising  inhabitants  of  this  city,  yet,  in  default  ,of  a 
better  medium  through  which  to  supply  information, 
they  must  be  employed.  In  1830  the  population  of 
Chicago  was  about  100  persons,  of  whom  a  small 
proportion  was  white,  the  majority  being  black  men 
and  half-breeds.  It  was  incorporated  as  a  city  in 
1837,  when  the  census  was  taken,  and  the  number 
of  inhabitants  found  to  be  4,170.  Ten  years  later 
the  number  was  doubled ;  twenty  years  after  its  in 
corporation  it  contained  100,000  citizens,  and  at 
this  moment  the  estimated  number  is  300,000. 
Nor  is  there  any  prospect  of  a  stoppage  in  the  rate 
of  increase.  In  every  quarter  hundreds  of  work 
men  are  labouring  at  the  erection  of  new  houses  or 
the  substitution  of  larger  for  smaller  dwellings. 
Nor  is  the  rapidity  of  the  city's  growth  less  extra 
ordinary  than  the  way  in  which  natural  obstacles 
to  its  progress  have  been  confronted  and  overcome. 
Situated  on  a  low-lying  part  of  Lake  Michigan's 
shore,  it  was  found  to  be  very  unhealthy.  In  order 
that  neither  damp  foundations  nor  bad  drainage 
should  breed  malaria  in  any  of  the  houses,  the 
entire  business  quarter  of  the  city  was  elevated 
eight  feet  above  its  original  level.  This  was  done 
without  interference  with  domestic  comfort,  stop 
page  of  traffic,  or  injury  to  trade.  While  houses 


38  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

and  shops  were  rising  upwards,  families  slept  se- 
curejy  in  their  beds,  sat  at  ease  in  their  rooms,  took 
their  meals  as  if  the  even  tenour  of  their  lives  was 
undisturbed,  while  merchants  conducted  their  daily 
business,  and  the  public  made  their  daily  purchases. 
For  some  years  complaints  had  been  made  about 
the  lack  of  good  water  for  drinking  purposes.  The 
water  supply  obtained  from  the  Lake  was  adequate 
in  quantity,  but  was  by  no  means  wholesome.  This 
was  owing  to  the  place  from  which  it  came  being 
near  the  shore,  and,  in  consequence  of  this,  being 
contaminated  with  the  sewage  and  refuse  accu 
mulated  not  far  off.  It  was  resolved  in  1864  to 
remedy  this  defect  by  means  of  a  tunnel  carried 
under  the  water  for  a  distance  of  two  miles,  and 
open  at  its  farther  extremity  to  the  pure  water  of 
the  Lake.  Three  years  afterwards  the  new  water 
works  were  in  active  operation,  and  they  are  ca 
pable  of  supplying  57,000,000  of  gallons  daily. 
Even  this  is  hardly  sufficient,  and  it  is  proposed  to 
build  a  second  tunnel.  In  addition  to  the  supply 
from  this  source  there  is  a  large  quantity  of  pure 
water  obtained  from  two  Artesian  wells,  one  of 
which  is  700  and  the  other  1,100  feet  deep.  An 
other  great  work  is  the  Washington-street  Tunnel, 
an  undertaking  quite  as  noteworthy  as  the  tunnel 
under  the  Thames,  which  used  to  excite  the  admi- 


THE  GARDEN  CITY.  39 

ration  of  country  cousins  and  intelligent  foreigners. 
Finding  that  the  amount  of  traffic  in  the  Chicago 
river  seriously  impeded  traffic  over  the  bridges, 
which  had  to  be  opened  whilst  vessels  were  passing, 
it  was  determined  to  construct  a  tunnel  under  the 
river,  and  a  short  time  after  the  project  had  been 
mooted  the  work  was  executed. 

The  rapidity  with  which  Chicago  has  attained  to 
the  commanding  position  now  held  by  it  in  the  esti 
mation  of  Americans  is  due  to  the  way  in  which 
opportunities  have  been  turned  to  account  quite  as 
much  as  to  any  natural  advantages  it  has  enjoyed. 
The  situation  is  certainly  a  most  favourable  one. 
There  is  communication  by  water  from  this  city 
to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  to  the  mouth  of  the 
St.  Lawrence.  The  lines  of  rail  which  centre  here 
embrace  fifteen  trunk  lines,  and  they  run  to  every 
part  of  the  Union.  Agriculture  flourishes  in  the 
vicinity,  and  the  farmer  finds  in  Chicago  both  a 
market  where  his  grain  always  commands  a  price, 
and  a  storehouse,  whence  he  draws  whatever  he  re 
quires  for  the  purposes  of  husbandry  or  for  the 
comfort  of  his  home.  There  is  thus  a  continuous 
current  of  produce  streaming  through  Chicago  on 
its  way  to  the  consumer  in  the  Eastern  States  or  in 
Great  Britain.  How  speedily  the  trade  in  grain 
has  been  converted  from  an  insignificant  industry 


40  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

into  an  industry  of  unprecedented  importance,  let 
the  following  facts  bear  witness.  In  1838  the  ship 
ments  of  grain  were  78  bushels  ;  in  1848  they  were 
3,001,714  bushels;  in  1858  they  were  20,035,166 
bushels;  in  1868  they  were  67,896,760  bushels.  If 
these  figures  did  not  appear  in  official  returns  of 
unquestioned  correctness,  they  would  be  read  with 
incredulity.  As  it  is,  they  excite  wonder,  and  this 
is  intensified  when  it  is  found  that  in  other  depart 
ments  of  commerce,  such  as  the  trade  in  cattle  and 
lumber,  the  like  progress  has  been  made.  Not  long 
ago  Cincinnati  took  the  lead  of  every  city  in  the 
Union  as  the  place  where  the  largest  numbers  of 
pigs  were  slaughtered,  salted,  and  packed  for  ex 
portation.  On  this  account,  the  city  was  commonly 
known  by  the  name  of  Porkopolis.  But,  if  the 
statements  of  the  citizens  of  Chicago  are  to  be  ac 
cepted,  the  glory  of  Cincinnati  has  passed  away, 
and  the  Garden  City  must  henceforth  be  regarded 
as  the  one  which  lovers  of  bacon  and  ham  are  bound 
to  honour. 

The  abundance,  excellent  quality,  and  moderate 
price  of  peaches,  apples,  and  other  fruit  sold  here  in 
the  autumn  excites  the  admiration  of  the  visitor. 
In  some  streets  the  pavement  is  encumbered  with 
boxes  of  fresh  peaches.  I  learned  that  these  are 
produced  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State  of 


THE  GARDEN  CITY.  41 

Illinois.  The  soil  and  climate  of  that  locality 
render  fruit-growing  as  profitable  there  as  it  is 
in  the  southern  parts  of  Germany.  During  the 
strawberry  season  five  cars  filled  with  strawberries 
arrive  at  Chicago  daily.  When  the  peaches  are 
ripe  the  supply  sent  to  market  every  morning  fills 
twenty  cars,  each  carrying  five  hundred  boxes  of 
peaches.  Egyptian  Illinois  is  the  name  of  this  pro 
lific  fruit-bearing  region.  Intersected  by  railways, 
the  market  is  within  easy  reach  of  the  cultivator's 
door.  It  is  seldom  that  a  crop  fails,  the  climate 
being  equable  and  temperate.  Thousands  of  acres 
are  still  to  be  had  by  the  settler.  When  I  add  that 
this  land  may  be  purchased  for  less  than  27.  the 
acre,  I  have  said  enough,  I  think,  to  excite  the 
desire  of  many  to  possess  and  cultivate  it. 

Material  prosperity  and  rapidity  of  growth  have 
made  Chicago  a  city  of  note,  yet  other  things  have 
made  it  a  city  of  influence.  Its  newspapers  are 
quite  as  remarkable  and  worthy  of  praise  as  its 
splendid  streets  and  magnificent  buildings,  its  ex 
tended  commerce  and  public  works.  Among  the 
magnificent  edifices  which,  in  different  parts  of  the 
United  States,  are  monuments  of  successful  jour 
nalism,  the  office  of  the  Chicago  Tribune  commands 
admiration.  Situated  at  the  corner  of  one  of  the 
principal  thoroughfares,  it  impresses  the  beholder 


42  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

by  the  effectiveness  of  its  architectural  design,  and 
this  impression  is  not  weakened  by  the  fact  that 
it  is  built  of  white  marble.  As  a  newspaper,  the 
Chicago  Tribune  exercises  a  vast  and  beneficent 
authority  throughout  the  "West.  Its  columns  are 
singularly  free  from  those  offensive  personalities 
which,  in  the  United  States,  are  too  frequently  con 
sidered  the  lawful  weapons  of  the  journalist.  Its 
articles  are  at  once  pointed  in  tone  and  scholarly 
in  style.  A  supporter  of  the  Republican  party,  the 
Tribune  is  at  the  same  time  an  energetic  and 
astute  upholder  of  free  trade.  It  is  the  ablest  re 
presentative  in  the  press  of  that  large  and  compact 
body  of  shrewd  Western  agriculturists  which  calls 
in  question  the  justice  of  taxing  the  people  at  large 
in  order  to  give  the  manufacturers  of  Pennsylvania 
and  Massachusetts  exceptional  facilities  for  doing 
business  on  a  large  scale,  and  accumulating  fortunes 
with  unprecedented  speed.  The  Chicago  Times 
is  the  democratic  organ.  Like  its  political  rival,  it 
is  ably  edited  and  well  written.  The  Chicago 
Evening  Journal  is  another  of  the  more  important 
newspapers.  An  attempt  has  recently  been  made 
to  add  a  monthly  magazine  to  the  periodical 
literature  of  the  Western  States.  The  Western 
Monthly  is  well  supported  both  by  men  of  letters 
and  the  reading  public.  The  founders  of  this  maga- 


THE  GARDEN  CITY.  43 

zine  said  that  their  design  was  to  develope  '  "Wes 
tern  Intellect  and  Enterprise'  and  to  enable  the 
people  of  the  West  to  keep  pace  with  those  of  the 
East  in  ( the  great  literary  race  of  the  Age.'  They 
saw  no  reason  why  their  literature  as  well  as  their 
grain  should  not  be  shipped  to  points  across  the 
Atlantic.  As  yet  the  grain  is  the  better  appre 
ciated  of  the  two,  but  the  day  may  come  when  the 
literature  will  be  more  heartily  welcomed  than  it 
now  is.  Judging  from  one  point  of  view,  it  might 
be  thought  that  in  their  feverish  chase  after  wealth 
the  citizens  of  Chicago  had  become  indifferent  to 
religious  observances.  Their  favourite  journals  ap 
pear  on  Sundays  as  well  as  on  the  other  days  of 
the  week.  This  is  opposed  to  the  practice  not  only 
of  England,  but  of  the  Eastern  States  of  America 
also.  In  the  principal  cities  there  are  Sunday  news 
papers,  but  as  a  rule  the  daily  journals  are  not  pub 
lished  on  Sunday.  Here,  on  the  contrary,  the 
Sunday  copies  of  the  Tribune  and  the  Times 
are  much  sought  after,  and  contain  an  extra  quan 
tity  of  attractive  matter.  Yet  while  newspapers 
are  in  demand,  the  churches  are  not  deserted.  As 
a  church-going  people  the  citizens  of  Chicago  will 
bear  favourable  comparison  with  the  inhabitants  of 
any  city  wherein  the  forms  of  religion  are  rigidly 
observed.  The  churches  are  very  numerous.  Some 


44  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

of  them  arc  fine  specimens  of  modern  ecclesiastical 
architecture. 

What  a  traveller  values  most  in  a  strange  city 
are  good  hotels,  fine  buildings,  well  stored  shops, 
and  well  kept  streets.  In  Chicago  he  will  find  all 
these  things.  The  Sherman  and  the  Tremont  House 
are  the  principal  hotels,  and  both  are  equal  to  the 
best  hotels  of  the  East.  They  both  are  on  a  par 
with  other  American  hotels  as  regards  the  difficulty 
experienced  by  the  passing  traveller  in  getting  a 
bed.  Throughout  the  United  States  and  Canada 
the  demand  for  hotel  accommodation  is  one  which 
seems  to  be  insatiable  and  perpetual.  On  inquiry, 
the  weary  and  astonished  traveller  learns  that  the 
state  of  things  which  gives  him  so  much  annoyance 
is  the  rule,  that  the  revolving  seasons  exercise  no 
influence  on  the  huge  and  anxious  crowd  hurrying 
from  one  hotel  and  from  one  railway-station  to 
another.  At  certain  periods  of  the  year  an  increase 
in  the  number  of  visitors  to  any  American  city  of 
importance  is  perfectly  natural.  In  the  autumn  it 
is  customary  for  each  State  to  hold  its  annual  fair. 
These  fairs,  unlike  those  of  the  Old  Country,  have 
for  their  object  the  exhibition  of  the  industrial  pro 
ducts  of  the  several  States.  The  annual  conven 
tions,  held  for  social  and  political  purposes,  likewise 
contribute  to  swell  the  throng  of  those  who  desire 


THE  GARDEN  CITY.  45 

hotel  accommodation.  Another  and  exceptional 
gathering  made  the  Chicago  hotels  crowded  with 
visitors  during  my  stay.  A  large  party  then  stopped 
here  on  its  way  from  California  to  the  States  of 
the  East.  This  party  was  no  ordinary  collection  of 
excursionists  bent  upon  enjoying  a  holiday  and  see 
ing  sights.  It  was  composed  of  persons  taking  to 
themselves  the  credit  of  being  the  pioneers  of  civi 
lization  in  California.  Each  one  had  gone  to  the 
Pacific  coast  in  1849,  with  a  view  to  better  his  con 
dition,  and  each  boasted  of  having  made  California 
one  of  the  richest  States  and  brightest  stars  in  the 
Union.  The  reception  of  this  party  was  enthusi 
astic.  The  party  itself  was  an  illustration  of  the 
benefits  conferred  by  the  gigantic  undertaking 
which  supplied  the  link  required  to  unite  the 
Pacific  and  Atlantic  with  an  iron  highway.  A 
printed  list  of  the  names  and  occupations  of  the 
excursionists  gives  evidence  of  their  representative 
character.  They  had  come  not  only  from  cities  of 
note  like  San  Francisco  and  Sacramento,  but  also 
from  others  less  known  to  fame,  such  as  Benecia 
and  Stockton,  Colfax  and  Elko.  Men  of  every 
position  in  the  social  scale  had  associated  together 
to  testify  that  they  had  laboured  for  a  common 
purpose  in  bygone  days.  Newspaper  editors,  me 
chanics,  farmers,  carpenters,  state  senators,  hotel- 


46.  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

keepers,  miners,  policemen,  druggists,  shepherds, 
bricklayers,  undertakers,  merchants,  and  one  artist, 
composed  the  motley  gathering.  The  occasion  was 
a  memorable  one,  for  it  was  the  first  on  which  the 
people  of  the  Pacific  had  been  brought  into  formal 
and  fraternal  contact  with  their  brethren  in  other 
and  remote  parts  of  the  Continent. 

The  way  in  which  the  streets  are  kept  is  credit 
able  to  the  city  authorities.  There  is  still  room  for 
improvement ;  yet,  when  the  condition  of  those  in 
New  York  is  borne  in  mind,  the  streets  of  Chicago 
seem  very  good.  Special  and  praiseworthy  atten 
tion  is  shown  to  the  safety  of  the  foot  passengers 
who  cross  over  crowded  thoroughfares.  Policemen 
are  stationed  to  see  that  the  street  is  not  monopo 
lised  by  conveyances,  to  the  danger  and  annoyance 
of  pedestrians.  These  guardians  of  public  order 
discharge  their  duty  with  an  impartiality  which 
merits  praise.  It  is  too  often  the  custom,  and  in 
New  York  it  is  the  rule,  for  policemen  to  be  atten 
tive  tg  young  and  gaily  dressed  ladies,  and  to  suffer 
all  others  to  shift  for  themselves.  To  quacks  selling 
nostrums  the  police  are  not  a  terror.  These  char 
latans  ply  their  trade  on  the  footpath  in  complete 
security,  and  with  a  success  which  is  only  too  great. 
Among  the  crowd  of  poor  labourers  surrounding 
them  they  find  credulous  listeners  and  an  easy  prey. 


THE  GARDEN  CITY.  47 

I  saw  one  of  these  impostors  doing  an  enor 
mous  business  within  a  stone's  throw  of  a  leading 
hotel.  His  dress  was  that  of  a  gentleman,  and 
his  manners  and  language  were  far  superior  to 
those  of  an  itinerant  vendor  of  the  London  streets. 
He  had  a  pill  which  would  annihilate  every 
known  malady,  and  an  oil  which  would  assuage 
eve*ry  pain.  As  an  inducement  to  buy  the  pills  and 
the  oil  he  presented  the  purchasers  of  either  with 
an  infallible  cure  for  corns  and  bunions.  This 
seemed  to  give  satisfaction  to  his  audience,  for 
numbers  exchanged  their  greenbacks  for  his  rub 
bish.  Another  branch  of  imposture  flourishes  here 
in  the  evening.  In  one  street  large  numbers  of 
mock  auctions  are  publicly  held.  The  business* of 
many  auctioneers  appeared  to  be  the  same,  that  is, 
to  sell  watches  and  tell  lies.  Their  energy  and 
boldness  could  hardly  be  surpassed.  Some  used 
phrases  which  sounded  new  and  strange  to  my  ears. 
One  made  a  point  of  assuring  his  hearers  that  the 
particular  watch  he  had  to  sell  was  '  Equal  to 
anything  on  the  top  of  God's  Kingdom  Come.' 
Another,  whose  appearance  and  accent  proclaimed 
the  Yankee,  and  who  failed  to  attract  persons  into 
his  room,  assured  the  spectators  at  the  door,  that 
whatever  money  he  got  after  that  hour  he  would 
distribute  in  charity.  Dutch  auctions  were  also 


48  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

going  on,  but,  as  far  as  I  could  judge,  with  less 
success  than  the  others.  Many  of  the  articles  for 
•which  twenty  dollars  were  asked  had  to  be  laid 
aside  for  lack  of  a  bidder  at  four. 

As  the  chief  halting  place  between  New  York 
and  San  Francisco,  the  future  of  Chicago  promises 
to  be  even  more  brilliant  and  extraordinary  than 
its  marvellous  past.  Its  traders  have  already 
secured  many  new  customers ;  its  merchants  have 
found  new  spheres  in  which  to  transact  a  lucrative 
business.  To  its  markets  additional  supplies  of 
valuable  produce  are  now  brought  over  the  Pacific 
Railway.  Thus  the  wealth  of  its  citizens  will  in 
crease  with  multiplied  rapidity.  Certainly,  those 
who  live  here  must  have  much  money  at  their  com 
mand  if  they  would  enjoy  the  ordinary  comforts,  to 
say  nothing  of  the  luxuries  of  life.  House  rent  is 
very  high ;  clothing  is  very  expensive.  A  married 
couple,  whose  income  is  1,000/.,  would  hardly  be 
numbered  among  the  well-to-do  citizens  of  this 
community.  But,  while  the  cost  of  living  is  great, 
the  opportunities  for  growing  rich  are  exceedingly 
numerous.  None  but  the  idle  starve :  none  but  the 
stupid  die  poor.  The  Garden  City  is  the  paradise 
of  the  modern  man  of  business.  Compared  with 
the  bustle  of  Chicago,  the  bustle  of  New  York 
seems  stagnation. 


ACROSS  THE  PRAIRIE. 

FROM  CHICAGO,  on  Lake  Michigan,  to  Omaha,  on 
the  Missouri  River,  the  distance  across  the  Prairie 
is  about  500  miles.  This  journey  has  to  be  made 
in  order  to  reach  the  Eastern  terminus  of  the 
Union  Pacific  Railway.  The  question  which  per 
plexes  the  traveller  is  ( which  of  the  several  routes 
shall  he  select  ? '  He  has  three  lines  of  rail  from 
which  to  choose.  There  is,  first,  the  Chicago  and 
North  Western ;  second,  the  Chicago  and  Rock 
Island;  and  third,  a  composite  route  passing  over 
the  Chicago,  Burling  ton*  and  Quincy,  and  other  lines. 
In  advertisements,  it  is  said  that  the  first  is  much 
more  direct  than  the  lower  route,  that  the  second 
is  a  hundred  miles  shorter  than  the  lower  route, 
thus  leaving  the  third  at  the  bottom  of  the  list. 
Indeed,  that  anyone  would  voluntarily  and  know 
ingly  travel  by  the  third  is  absurd.  A  glance  at  the 
map  suffices  to  show  that  it  runs  out  of  the  direct 
course.  However,  the  ticket  agents  often  succeed 
in  persuading  the  unwary  passenger  to  buy  a 


50  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

ticket  -which  answers  their  purpose  rather  than 
suits  the  passenger's  convenience.  I  met  more 
than  one  passenger  who  had  been  imposed  upon  in 
this  respect.  As  a  matter  of  fact  the  Chicago  and 
North  "Western  is  the  shortest  line.  Its  rival,  the 
Chicago  and  Rock  Island,  holds  out  the  induce 
ment  that,  c  this  company  build  and  run  their  own 
elegant  sleeping  coaches  and  palace  day  cars,  and 
have  no  worn  out  rails  to  run  over.'  Moreover,  the 
Chicago  and  Rock  Island  station  in  Chicago  is  one 
of  the  handsomest  and  most  commodious  buildings 
of  the  kind  in  the  United  States.  I  mention  these 
things  so  that  those  who  wish  to  form  an  opinion 
for  themselves  may  do  so.  For  my  own  part  I 
preferred  a  seat  in  a  Pullman's  palace  car  on  the 
North  "Western.  I  have  already  given  a  descrip 
tion  of  his  hotel  car.  Before  leaving  this  city, 
which  is  the  headquarters  of  Pullman's  Palace  Car 
Company,  a  few  additional  particulars  may  appro 
priately  be  furnished. 

About  six  years  ago,  Mr.  Pullman  first  con 
structed  one  of  the  cars  which  have  made  his  name 
famous  throughout  the  Union.  Before  that  time 
he  had  made  experiments  on  a  small  scale,  and  of 
an  imperfect  character.  Their  success  emboldened 
him  to  fresh  efforts.  Instead  of  confining  himself, 


ACROSS  THE  PRAIRIE.  51 

as  at  first,  to  providing  sleeping  accommodation  for 
night  trains,  he  devised  an  arrangement  which 
combined  comfortable  sleeping  berths  at  night  with 
luxurious  seats  by  day.  He  appealed  to  the  eye  as 
well  as  to  the  sense  of  comfort,  furnishing  his  cars 
with  artistic  and  costly  materials.  As  much  care 
was  spent  in  decorating  them  as  is  expended  in 
decorating  the  dwellings  of  the  rich.  Nor  were 
any  of  the  appliances  omitted  which  could  render  a 
railway  journey  agreeable.  The  perfected  car  was 
a  combined  drawing-room,  dining-room,  and  bed 
room  on  wheels.  That  no  expense  was  spared  is 
proved  by  the  fact  that  the  cost  of  a  single  car 
exceeded  5,000/.  sterling.  But  it  was  not  enough 
to  lessen  the  tedium  and  misery  of  a  long  railway 
journey  by  merely  providing  softly-cushioned  seats 
by  day,  clean  and  most  comfortable  beds  at  night, 
and  well-cooked  meals  for  those  who  chose  to 
order  them.  The  Western  railroads  over  which 
these  cars  were  destined  to  run  had  sometimes 
been  constructed  far  too  hastily  to  be  smooth.  In 
England,  and  in  America  also,  the  smoothness  with 
which  the  train  speeds  along  is  in  proportion  to 
the  care  with  which  the  rails  have  been  laid,  and 
to  the  completeness  of  the  permanent  way.  The 
problem  for  Mr.  Pullman  was  how  to  diminish 
jolting  on  rough  roads.  He  solved  the  problem  by 


52  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

giving  more  attention  to  the  wheels  and  springs 
of  his  cars  than  the  engineers  had  given  to  the 
rails,  the  joints,  and  the  sleepers.  The  springs  of 
a  Pullman's  car  are  so  well  adjusted  that  the  oscil 
lation,  which  would  be  unbearable  if  the  springs 
were  imperfect  or  badly  contrived,  is  reduced  to  a 
minimum.  By  employing  double  windows,  con 
structed  so  as  to  render  rattling  impossible,  noise 
is  prevented,  while  dust  and  cold  air  are  excluded. 
Arrangements  of  a  very  satisfactory  kind  have 
been  made  for  heating  and  ventilation.  -These 
cars  are  run  over  the  several  railways  on  terms 
agreed  to  between  the  companies  and  the  pro 
prietors  of  the  cars.  The  passengers  pay  an  extra 
fare  for  a  seat  in  one  of  them.  The  result  has 
been  profitable  to  both,  while  the  risk  of  loss  to 
the  companies  is  infinitesimal.  The  business  having 
grown  too  large  for  Mr.  Pullman  to  manage  alone, 
he  transferred  it  to  a  Joint  Stock  Company  in 
1867.  He  is  both  president  and  general  manager 
of  the  company.  The  shareholders  have  no  reason 
to  complain  of  their  investment.  They  receive  a 
monthly  dividend  of  1  per  cent.,  while  the  reserve 
fund  is  increased  by  a  like  amount.  When  the 
citizens  of  Chicago  shall  desire  to  devote  a  small 
.portion  of  their  enormous  fortunes  to  commemorate 
the  services  of  their  distinguiehed  men,  they  wrould 


ACROSS  THE  PRAIRIE.  53 

act  wisely  in  subscribing  liberally  to  erect  a  monu 
ment  to  Mr.  Pullman.  If  an  Englishman  would 
earn  the  gratitude  of  the  large  body  of  railway 
travellers  let  him  emulate  Mr.  Pullman's  career. 
He  would  thus  revolutionize  railway  travelling  in 
England,  and  at  the  same  enrich  himself  beyond 
the  dreams  of  avarice. 

Once  a  day  the  through  train  for  the  Pacific  coast 
starts  from  Chicago.  The  advertisements  announce 
the  starting  of  two  trains ;  but  the  traveller  who 
rashly  starts  by  the  evening  one  finds  that  he  must 
spend  a  night  at  Omaha.  Let  it  be  supposed  that, 
having  taken  his  ticket  by  the  Chicago  and  North 
Western  Hallway,  he  arrives  at  the  station  in  time 
to  get  his  luggage  f  checked '  and  to  take  his  place 
in  a  Pullman's  palace  car  at  10.15  in  the  morning. 
The  bustle  and  confusion  are  greatly  in  excess  of 
what  would  occur  at  a  well-managed  European 
railway  station.  Labour  is  very  scarce  here,  con 
sequently  the  services  of  a  multitude  of  porters  are 
dispensed  with.  The  passenger  must  do  for  him 
self  what  porters  do  for  him  elsewhere.  If  he  be 
experienced  he  will  have  no  more  luggage  than  he 
can  move  unassisted.  This  implies  that  he  has  no 
incumbrances  to  whom  he  must  be  polite  and  atten 
tive.  On  such  an  occasion  as  this  the  solitary 
and  compassionate  man  has  good  reason  to  rejoice 


54  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

in  his  loneliness,  and  to  pity  those  who  are  accom 
panied  by  ladies.  When  the  struggle  to  get  the 
luggage  '  checked '  is  crowned  with  success,  the 
traveller  who  has  engaged  and  paid  the  extra 
charge  for  a  seat  in  a  palace  car  takes  possession  of 
it.  This  scat  he  retains  throughout  the  journey. 
It  is  absolutely  reserved  for  him.  At  night  the 
seat  is  folded  down  on  either  side,  blankets,  and 
clean  sheets,  and  pillows  are  arranged  in  due  order, 
a  curtain  is  drawn  in  front  and  a  sleeping  berth  is 
thus  formed.  The  berths  in  the  cabins  of  many 
fine  steamers  are  less  comfortable  than  the  berths 
in  these  cars. 

When  the  moment  for  departure  arrives,  the 
conductor  calls  out  'All  aboard.'  The  engine 
gives  a  low  and  not  unmelodious  whistle,  the  ear- 
piercing  screech  of  our  engines  being  happily  un 
known  in  America,  and  the  train  starts  for  the 
journey  across  the  Prairie.  It  may  be  useful  to 
give  some  hints  as  to  the  terms  employed  by  tra 
vellers  on  American  railways.  In  the  United 
States  as  in  other  countries,  fluency  in  speaking 
the  language  of  the  people  is  an  art  to  be  acquired 
if  possible,  If  he  would  avoid  being  singular,  the 
English  traveller  will  say  '  railroad '  instead  of  rail 
way,  '  track '  instead  of  line,  '  car  '  instead  of  car- 


ACROSS  THE  PRAIRIE.  55 

riage,  *  depot,*  'freight-train,' f  baggage  car'  ir.&tsad 
of  station,  goods  train,  and  luggage  van.  Luggage 
consists  of  so  many  '  pieces ' ;  it  is  not  registered 
but  *  checked.'  If  a  portmanteau  forms  part  of  it, 
the  portmanteau  must  be  spoken  of  as  a  '  valise.' 
Nor  must  luggage  be  asked  for,  or  referred  to  under 
any  other  name  than  that  of  ( baggage.'  Over  the 
blunders  made  by  Englishmen,  who  use  the  word 
luggage,  I  once  heard  an  American  gentleman 
make  merry  in  the  presence  of  his  countrywomen. 
He  told  them  how,  when  in  England,  he  had  been 
surprised  at  the  ignorance  of  the  railway  porters, 
because  they  asked  him  if  he  had  any  luggage. 
In  France,  on  the  contrary,  he  considered  that 
their  standard  of  education  was  far  higher.  By 
them  the  word  'baggage'  was  always  employed. 
He  explained  that  the  French  had  borrowed  the 
word  from  the  Americans.  Probably  he  would 
have  some  difficulty  in  meeting  with  a  Frenchman 
who  would  agree  with  him  in  so  thinking. 

The  arrangement  of  the  seats  in  a  Pullman's  car 
is  such  as  tempts  the  several  occupants  to  become 
acquainted.  As  a  rule  the  Americans  are  not  a 
loquacious  people  when  travelling  by  rail.  But  in 
their  case,  as  in  that  of  persons  of  other  nationali 
ties,  the  fact  of  being  closely  associated  together 
for  a  long  journey  tends  to  encourage  good  fellow- 


50  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

ship.  Towards  Englishmen  they  are  disposed  to 
be  very  reticent.  The  following  reason  is  assigned 
for  this.  A  notion  is  prevalent  that  the  majority 
of  English  travellers  visit  America  solely  in  order 
to  accumulate  materials  wherewith  to  fill  volumes 
with  sneers  and  abuse.  That  such  a  belief  is  base 
less  cannot  be  maintained  by  anyone  moderately 
well  versed  in  the  English  literature  of  travels  in 
America.  More  than  one  of  my  travelling'  com 
panions  had  a  story  to  tell  of  unpleasant  personal, 
experience  of  the  John  Bullism  which  is  so  offensive 
to  foreigners.  One  of  them  related  how,  having  paid 
all  the  attention  in  his  power  to  an  English  fellow- 
passenger,  he  naturally  expected  to  hear  an  expres-  ' 
sion  of  admiration  for  some  of  the  sights  pointed 
out.  But  he  had  laboured  in  vain.  Everything  was 
pronounced  good  in  its  way,  but  far  inferior  to 
what  might  be  seen  in  England.  In  the  hope  of 
succeeding  at  last,  he  remarked  that  the  moon, 
which  shone  so  brightly  that  small  print  could  be 
read  by  its  light,  must  rival  that  of  the  Old 
Country.  The  reply  was  that  the  moon  was  not 
at  all  bad  for  America,  yet  that  the  spectacle  was 
far  inferior  to  what  is  beheld  on  a  moonlight  night 
in  England.  This  is  but  one  of  many  stories  of 
a  like  kind  told  to  me  by  those  who  seemed  as 
much  surprised  as  gratified  at  my  disposition  to 


ACEOSS  THE  PRAIRIE.  57 

admire  what  was  really  praiseworthy  in  the  country, 
the  scenery,  and  the  people.  I  protested,  not  with 
out  success,  against  the  notion  of  regarding  every 
traveller  as  a  paragon  of  cultivated  taste  and 
refined  manners,  as  a  man  whose  opinion  ought 
to  be  accepted  without  hesitation  or  challenge  and 
as  one  who  truly  typified  his  countrymen.  Nor 
was  it  difficult  to  turn  the  tables  by  representing 
the  doings  of  some  American  travellers  in  Europe. 
Having  seen  notorious  members  of  the  (  Petroleum ' 
and  e  Shoddy '  aristocracy  of  the  United  States  ex 
cite  the  amazement  of  Frenchmen  and  Germans 
by  their  lavish  expenditure,  their  bejewelled  per 
sons,  their  coarse  talk,  and  their  overbearing  de 
meanour,  I  was  in  a  position  to  ask  whether  it 
would  be  fair  to  judge  all  Americans  by  the 
standard  of  these  personages,  and  pass  sentence 
of  condemnation  accordingly. 

Among  the  passengers  occupying  the  car  in  which 
I  had  a  seat  were  two  or  three  well  qualified  to 
speak  with  authority  on  matters  relating  to  parts  of 
the  Union  widely  separated  by  distance,  and  differ 
ing  greatly  through  the  operation  of  natural  or 
accidental  circumstances.  One  was  a  large  manu 
facturer  of  machinery  in  Philadelphia.  The  firm  of 
which  he  was  a  member  had  supplied  locomotives  to 
nearly  all  the  railway  companies  in  the  land.  He 


58  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

avowed  himself  a  strenuous  upholder  of  the  law 
which,  by  imposing  protective  duties,  enriches  the 
manufacturer  at  the  expense  of  the  farmer.  It  was 
curious  to  find  in  him,  as  the  employer  of  two 
thousand  artificers,  the  counterpart  of  many  English 
men  who  boast  of  the  number  of  '  hands  '  in  their 
pay.  To  him,  as  to  them,  the  dreaded  and  intoler 
able  bugbear  was  trade-unionism.  But  in  his  case 
the  grievance  assumed  a  new  aspect.  Between  him 
and  his  workmen  the  bone  of  contention  had  been, 
not  the  rate  of  wages,  but  the  employment  of  English 
labour.  He  told  me  that  he  had  been  coerced  into 
dismissing  Englishmen  with  whom  no  other  fault 
cauld  be  found  than  the  cardinal  and  inherent  defect 
of  their  nationality.  He  was  one  of  the  very  few 
Americans  I  met  who  had  a  harsh  word  to  say 
against  the  Patent  Laws.  Like  certain  English 
manufacturers  he  longed  for  their  abolition,  on  tho 
ground  that  these  laws  tied  his  hands  and  fettered 
his  actions  too  tightly,  conferring  on  poorer  men 
rights  which  they  sometimes  used  to  the  detriment 
of  their  richer  brethren,  who  were  ready  to  turn  the 
workmen's  inventions  to  their  personal  advantage, 
and  treat  the  ingenious  poor  as  convenient  and 
serviceable  tools.  Another  passenger,  who  resided 
in  Alabama,  and  who  in  days  not  long  gone  by  had 
treated  his  darker  fellow-man  as  a  chattel,  was 


ACROSS  THE  PRAIRIE.  59 

in  many  respects  a  more  genuine  liberal  than  the 
wealthy  manufacturer  of  Philadelphia.  This  gentle 
man  was  a  planter  who  had  fought  iu  the  rebel 
army,  and  had  suffered  severely  in  person  and  estate. 
About  the  result  he  manifested  no  bitterness.  The 
issues  of  the  war  he  frankly  and  unreservedly  ac 
cepted.  In  his  opinion  the  question  alike  of  seces 
sion  and  of  slavery  had  been  finally  settled  against 
the  South.  His  chief  desire  was  to  cultivate  cotton 
again,  and  his  hope  lay  in  the  labour  of  Chinamen. 
More  prescient  than  his  fellow-planters,  this  gentle 
man  had  purchased  ten  thousand  acres  of  land  in 
Nebraska  prior  to  the  outbreak  of  hostilities  be 
tween  North  and  South.  He  was  now  on  his  way 
to  inspect  and  deal  with  this  property.  A  third 
passenger  was  a  merchant  in  Omaha.  He  bad 
intense  faith  in  the  future  of  the  young  city,  which 
but  yesterday  was  an  outpost  in  the  wilderness,  and 
is  now  the  mart  of  an  increasing  trade.  Two  ladies, 
travelling  alone,  were  members  of  the  friendly  group 
formed  in  the  car  by  the  accident  of  neighbourhood. 
The  one  was  going  to  rejoin  her  husband  at  Omaha ; 
the  other  was  bound  for  San  Francisco  on  the  same 
errand.  At  nightfall  this  little  party  produced 
materials  for  a  pleasant  supper  out  of  its  joint  re 
sources.  Patriotic  and  complimentary  toasts  were 
drunk  in  excellent  Californian  wine.  Loyal  and 


60  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

rebel  songs  were  sung,  and  the  merriment  was  con 
tinued  till  the  conductor  interfered  on  behalf  of  the 
other  passengers,  who,  having  retired  for  the  night, 
did  not  wish  their  rest  disturbed. 

In  order  to  give  clearness  to  the  narrative  of  this 
trip  it  is  necessary  to  return  to  the  starting  point 
and  ask  the  reader  to  imagine  the  train  speeding 
along,  after  having  left  the  Chicago  Station  behind. 
For  many  miles  westward  the  line  traverses  the 
plains  of  Illinois.  On  either  side  the  eye  rests 
upon  neat  farmhouses,  embosomed  in  trees  which 
the  settler  had  planted  at  the  time  he  built  his  habi 
tation.  Not  far  from  Chicago  an  Artesian  well  is 
pointed  out,  and  a  story  is  told  respecting  its  dis 
covery  which  the  believers  in  Spiritualism  would 
accept  as  testimony  in  favour  of  their  views,  and  the 
disbelievers  would  cite  as  condemnatory  of  them. 
A  short  time  ago  a  Spiritualist  had  a  communication 
to  the  effect  that  if  he  sank  a  well  in  a  particular 
locality  he  would  f  strike  oil.'  Full  of  faith  in  the 
message,  he  set  to  work,  heedless  of  the  scoffs  of  his 
neighbours.  Foot  after  foot  he  bored  downwards, 
but  without  achieving  the  promised  end.  Yet  he 
did  not  despair  of  success,  and  he  boldly  expended 
what  money  he  had  in  the  prosecution  of  the  under 
taking.  Still  there  was  no  sign  of  oil.  At  last, 


ACROSS  THE  PEAIRIE.  61 

however,  a  stream  of  liquid  rushed  to  the  surface, 
and  his  hope  of  success  waxed  strong.  A  reaction 
took  place  in  his  mind  as  soon  as  the  liquid  was 
tested,  for  it  proved  to  be  pure  water.  Instead  of 
discovering  a  spring  of  oil,  the  explorer  had  sunk 
an  Artesian  well,  and  thus,  although  he  had  not 
wasted  his  substance  in  vain,  yet  he  had  performed 
no  marvellous  feat.  It  is  possible  to  sink  an  Ar 
tesian  well  without  the  intervention  of  the  spirits. 
Farther  west,  and  on  the  other  side  of  the  line,  I 
saw  what  appeared  to  be  a  nursery  garden  devoted 
to  the  growth  of  young  trees.  The  young  plants 
were  in  ordered  rows,  and  disposed  with  a  special 
view  to  regularity.  A  fellow-traveller  who  knew 
the  country  and  its  customs,  told  me  that  my  sup 
position  was  erroneous.  The  spot  was  the  chosen 
site  of  a  future  city.  It  is  thus  that  speculators 
plan  out  and  prepare  the  way  for  the  settlement  of 
uninhabited  tracts  of  suitable  land.  Not  only  do 
they  plant  the  trees  destined  to  overshadow  the 
footpaths  on  which  unborn  children  will  play,  but 
they  also  give  names  to  the  streets,  and  even  set 
apart  sites  for  imaginary  buildings.  All  these  things 
are  carefully  noted  in  a  map  which  is  shown  to  the 
seekers  after  new  abodes.  They  buy  lots  where 
their  fancy  dictates,  and  sometimes  find  on  arriving 
to  take  possession  that  they  are  the  first  and  the 


62  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

only  inhabitants.  The  trick  is  not  a  new  one.  It 
was  played  upon  Martin  Chuzzlewit  when  he 
determined  to  make  his  home  in  what  he  thought 
was  a  new  and  rising  city,  but  which  proved  to  be 
an  old  and  dismal  swamp. 

Five  hours  after  leaving  Chicago,  the  train 
reaches  the  bridge  which  crosses  the  Mississippi. 
This  bridge  is  nearly  a  mile  in  length,  and  is  con 
structed  partly  of  wood  and  partly  of  iron.  The 
structure  has  a  very  unsubstantial  appearance,  and, 
as  it  creaks  and  sways  while  the  train  passes  over 
it,  the  contingency  of  an  unwelcome  descent  into 
the  deep  and  rapid  stream  beneath  is  one  whidi 
flashes  over  the  mind.  Once  across  the  bridge, 
the  Westward-bound  traveller  enters  the  young,  yet 
flourishing  State  of  Iowa,  a  State  in  which  count 
less  settlers  may  find  pleasant  homes  on  its  rolling 
prairies.  On  either  side,  as  far  as  the  horizon,  a 
few  farmhouses  alone  serve  to  break  the  monotony 
of  the  prospect.  To  these  vast  tracts  the  epithet 
which  Homer  affixed  to  the  sea  may  not  inaptly 
be  applied.  They  are  literally  ( unharvested,'  await 
ing  the  touch  of  industry  to  yield  up  their  teem 
ing  treasures.  The  long,  rank  grass  which  waves 
on  their  surface,  rots  for  lack  of  a  mower  to  gather 
it  in,  or  is  converted  into  dust  and  ashes  when 
the  spark  falling  from  the  passing  locomotive,  or 


ACROSS  ;THE  PRAIRIE.  63 

thrown  by  the  heedless  wanderer,  kindles  the 
flame  which  no  human  power  can  extinguish.  The 
spectacle  of  a  prairie  on  fire  is  one  of  infinite 
grandeur.  For  miles  on  every  side  the  air  is 
heavy  with  volumes  of  stifling  smoke,  and  the 
ground  reddened  with  hissing  and  rushing  fire. 
The  beholder  can  with  difficulty  apprehend  the 
possibility  of  the  mass  of  flame  being  quenched 
till  the  entire  country  had  become  a  barren  and 
blackened  waste.  Much  depends  upon  the  strength 
of  the  wind  as  well  as  the  quarter  from  which  it 
blows.  A  lull  will  stay  the  conflagration,  while 
a  sudden  change,  by  reversing  the  direction  of 
the  fiery  waves,  will  sweep  them  back  over  the 
tract  which  they  have  devastated,  and  thus  lead 
to  their  own  extinction.  A  scene  less  impressive, 
but  far  more  enjoyable,  is  that  of  the  moon  flood 
ing  the  silent  prairie  with  silvery  light.  The 
smallest  object  then  stands  forth  in  bold  relief  and 
fixes  the  attention.  Innumerable  wild  flowers  per 
fume  the  air.  The  senses  are  at  once  quickened 
and  overpowered  by  the  impression  of  illimitable 
space.  As  the  mind  is  awakened  to  the  thought 
that  those  who  people  these  vast  tracts  of  fertile 
land  will  enjoy  a  freedom  hardly  less  complete, 
while  far  better  ordered  than  that  of  the'  wanton 
breeze,  balmy  with  perfume,  it  is  not  difficult  to 


64     •  WESTWARD  $Y  RAIL. 

understand  the  proneness  to  exaggeration,  which  is 
the  characteristic  of  the  Americans  of  the  West, 
and  to  sympathise  with  their  opinions  of  countries 
in  which  an  untrodden  wilderness  is  an  impossi 
bility,  and  every  acre  is  cultivated  like  a  garden. 
Nor  is  it  unpatriotic  to  feel  a  longing  that  the 
thousands  who  earn  precarious  livelihoods  in  the 
United  Kingdom  by  tilling  the  soil,  of  which  their 
taskmasters  are  the  lords,  could  be  transported  to 
a  locality  where  the  strength  of  their  arms  would 
not  only  win  for  them  a  comfortable  subsistence, 
but  would  also  enable  them  to  become  possessors 
in  their  own  right  of  the  soil  which  yields  them 
their  daily  bread.  If  the  Dorsetshire  labourer, 
who  hardly  knows  what  it  is  to  taste  butcher's 
meat,  or  the  Irish  peasant,  whose  ambition  is  to 
possess  a  bit  of  land,  could  be  convinced  of  the 
lot  which  he  might  enjoy  as  a  settler  on  the  prairies 
of  Iowa,  the  former  would  soon  cease  to  serve  and 
reverence  the  squire,  and  the  latter  would  turn 
his  face  to  the  setting  sun  with  the  feeling  which 
the  Mahommedan  cherishes  for  the  city  of  Mecca. 

The  picture  is  a  bright  one,  but  it  would  be 
unnatural  were  it  unrelieved  by  shade.  The  State 
of  Iowa  has  its  drawbacks,  in  the  shape  of  swamps, 
as  well  as  its  treasures,  in  the  form  of  rolling 
prairies.  Fortunately  the  prairie  predominates  over 


ACROSS  THE  PRAIRIE.  65 

the  swamp.  From  east  to  west  this  State  extends 
287  miles,  and  it  is  210  miles  in  breadth.  At  its 
western  extremity  the  line  of  the  Chicago  and 
North  Western  Railway  passes  through  one  of  the 
woret  swamps  in  the  whole  State.  A  few  days 
previous  to  my  journey  the  rain  had  swollen  the 
waters,  and  the  rails  were  inundated.  The  train 
went  along  at  a  snail's  pace.  It  was  a  puzzle  to 
comprehend  how  the  rails  kept  their  places  and 
the  sleepers  upheld  their  burden.  The  latter  were 
resting  upon  what  appeared  to  be  liquid  mud.  It 
was  well  that  they  remained  unbroken.  Had  they 
given  way,  the  consequences  would  have  been 
disastrous.  When  asked  by  an  anxious  and  timid 
passenger  what  would  happen  were  the  road-bed 
to  sink  altogether,  the  conductor  answered, 6  Guess 
the  cars  would  go  to  hell's  bottom.'  These  swamps 
are  veritable  quicksands.  Whatever  enters  them 
is  engulphed  for  ever.  As  it  happened,  the  only 
serious  mischief  was  a  detention  of  the  train.  Since 
then  I  have  learned  that  the  company  has  profited 
by  the  warning,  and  has  renewed  the  line  at  this 
part  in  such  a  way  as  to  render  a  recurrence  of  the 
danger  almost  an  impossibility.  Several  miles  be 
fore  Council  Bluffs,  the  station  on  the  eastern  bank 
of  the  Missouri,  is  reached,  a  fine  view  is  had  of 
Omaha,  on  the  western  bank.  The  prospect  is 


66  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

deceitful,  as  is  not  unfrequently  the  case  when 
cities  are  viewed  from  a  distance.  Situated  on  a 
rising  ground,  Omaha  appears  to  be  a  city  with 
fine  streets  and  stately  buildings.  Seen  more 
closely,  the  streets  are  found  to  be  straggling  and 
the  buildings  common-place,  with  but  few  excep 
tions.  One  of  the  disenchantments  for  which  the 
traveller  by  this  line  must  be  prepared,  occurs  when 
he  has  to  be  transported  across  the  Missouri  from 
Council  Bluffs  to  Omaha.  The  accounts  he  may 
have  read  of  palace  cars  running  through  from 
New  York  to  San  Francisco  must  have  led  him  to 
underrate  the  discomforts  to  .be  faced  and  borne. 
One  of  these  is  changing  from  car  to  car  and  rail 
to  rail.  A  short  time  ago  I  read  in  the  New 
York  Tribune  a  glowing  account  of  the  luxurious 
way  in  which  a  party  had  travelled  without  change 
of  cars  from  Sacramento  to  New  York.  That 
this  was  the  rare  exception  I  learned  before  leaving 
Chicago ;  but  I  did  not  know  that  the  arrange 
ments  were  still  incomplete  for  transporting  pas 
sengers  in  comfort  across  the  Missouri  River,  and 
my  ignorance  was  shared  by  many  of  my  fellow- 
passengers.  On  arriving  at  Council  Bluffs,  we 
found  omnibuses  in  waiting  at  the  station.  The 
morning  was  cold  and  raw.  But  a  small  proportion 
of  the  passengers  could  get  inside  seats,  the  re- 


ACROSS  THE  PRAIRIE.  67 

mainder  having  the  option  of  either  sitting  on  the 
roof  among  the  luggage,  or  else  being  left  behind. 
In  itself  the  seat  on  the  roof  was  not  objectionable, 
provided  the  time  occupied  were  brief.  As  nearly 
an  hour  was  thus  spent,  the  feeling  of  satisfaction 
at  having  got  a  seat  at  all  was  supplanted  by  a 
feeling  of  annoyance  at  the  treatment  received. 
Through  deep  ruts  in  the  mud  the  omnibus  was 
slowly  drawn  by  four  horses  to  the  river's  bank, 
and  thence  on  to  the  deck  of  a  flat-bottomed 
steamer.  Seated  there,  a  good  view  was  had  of 
the  Missouri.  It  has  been  called  mighty,  which  it 
doubtless  is,  considered  as  a  stream,  yet  the  appella 
tion  of  (  Big  Muddy,'  which  is  current  here,  is  the 
one  which  more  truthfully  characterises  it.  The 
banks  are  masses  of  dark  mud,  resembling  the 
heights  which  line  the  sea  coast  at  Cromer,  in 
Norfolk,  and  just  as  every  high  tide  undermines 
and  crumbles  away  the  latter,  so  does  the  river's 
current  sweep  away  portions  of  the  former.  The 
peculiarity  of  the  Missouri  is  the  shifting  character 
of  its  current.  Now  and  then  it  suddenly  abandons 
its  old  bed,  scooping  out  a  new  one  an  hundred 
yards  distant.  A  fellow-traveller  who  had  seen 
it  a  month  previously  said  that  since  then  the  river 
had  shifted  its  course,  and  that  what  was  now  a 
vast  bed  of  mud  had  then  formed  the  river's 


68  WESTWARD  EY  RAIL. 

channel.  The  erratic  career  of  this  river  is  giving 
sad  trouble  to  the  railway  company.  There  is  no 
certainty  that  any  particular  spot  chosen  for  the 
landing-stage  will  continue  available  for  the  pur 
pose  from  hour  to  hour  and  from  day  to  day. 
There  is  a  plan  for  erecting  a  bridge  over  tho  Mis 
souri,  but  the  difficulty  of  finding  a  solid  founda 
tion  has  hitherto  proved  insurmountable.  The  bed 
and  banks  of  the  river  are  quicksands  of  great 
depth.  These  physical  obstacles  will  probably  be 
overcome,  but  the  cost  of  success  must  assuredly 
be  heavy.  Moreover,  the  question  of  labour  is  one 
which  adds  an  element  of  complication  to  the 
problem.  It  is  proposed  to  bring  Chinamen  from 
California  in  order  to  build  the  bridge.  To  this 
the  Irishmen  already  employed  make  vigorous  ob 
jections,  threatening  terrible  things  should  their 
protests  be  unheeded.  There  is  too  much  reason  to 
fear  that  when  the  unoffending  Chinamen  arrive 
they  will  be  the  victims  of  dastardly  outrages. 

The  first  thing  which  catches  the  eye  on  reach 
ing  the  western  bank  of  the  river  is  a  small  shanty 
in  which  liquors  are  sold.  On  the  one  side  are 
the  words,  f  First  Chance ; '  on  the  other,  f  Last 
Chance.*  Regardless  of  the  risk  of  getting  some 
vile  compound  bearing  the  name  of  whisky,  many 
rushed  to  avail  themselves  of  the  opportunity,  and 


ACROSS  THE  PRAIRIE.  69 

the  enterprising  proprietor  had  reason  to  congratu 
late  himself  on  having  founded  his  bar  on  Missouri 
mud.  Through  this  mud  the  omnibus  laboured 
slowly,  the  outside  passengers  being  advised  by  the 
driver  to  move  about  from  one  side  of  the  roof  to 
another,  in  order  to  guard  against  upsetting  the 
overladen  vehicle.  A  general  feeling  of  relief  was 
manifested  when  the  station  of  the  Union  Pacific 
Railway  was  reached.  From  this  point  the  tra 
veller  really  begins  his  trip  over  the  great  railway 
which  Americans  justly  class  among  the  grandest 
and  most  wonderful  achievements  of  modern  times. 


70  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 


V. 

OVER  THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAINS. 

OMAHA  is  one  ot  those  American  cities  which  seem 
to  spring  up,  flourish,  and  wax  great  in  the  twinkling 
of  an  eye.  Its  history  dates  from  1854.  In  that 
year  a  few  squatters  fixed  their  residence  in  this 
section  of  what  was  then  the  Territory  of  Nebraska, 
which  was  regarded  as  in  the  heart  of  the  Far  West. 
Situated  on  the  bank  of  the  Missouri  Hiver,  at  a 
point  almost  equidistant  between  the  Atlantic  and 
Pacific  Oceans,  Omaha  had  many  natural  advan 
tages,  and  these  have  been  turned  to  profitable 
account  since  the  Pacific  Railway  has  furnished  the 
opportunity.  Certain  it  is  that  the  city's  prospects 
are  bright.  In  1860  the  population  did  not  exceed 
1,883;  now  the  number  of  inhabitants  is  estimated 
at  20,000.  There  are  many  manufactories  within 
its  bounds,  one  distillery,  and  several  breweries.  In 
the  year  1868-9  the  sales  of  the  merchants  were  up 
wards  of  a  million  and  a  quarter  sterling.  Like  most 
American  cities  it  possesses  two  daily  newspapers, 


OVER  TIIE  ROCKY  MOUNTAINS.  71 

the  one  the  Republican  the  other  the  Democratic 
organ.  Four  other  journals  are  published  at  longer 
intervals.  Of  schools,  both  public  and  private, 
there  is  abundance.  The  churches  are  fifteen  in 
number.  There  are  eleven  hotels,  of  which  one  or 
two  are  first-class  establishments.  That  this  pro 
gress  should  have  been  made  within  the  space  of  a 
few  short  years  is  not  only  marvellous,  but  inspires 
hope  that  the  city's  future  will  be  a  great  and  an 
enviable  one.  Although  the  chief  city,  Omaha  is 
not  now  the  capital  of  the  State  of  Nebraska.  When 
it  was  the  capital,  its  enterprising  citizens  built  an 
imposing  State  House,  a  structure  which  can  be 
seen  for  many  miles  on  all  sides,  and  one  which  is 
an  ornament  to  the  city.  However,  for  reasons 
unknown  to  me,  Lincoln  city,  a  place  of  far  less 
note  and  importance,  was  made  the  capital  in  1868. 
A  story  is  told  of  the  postmaster  which  illustrates 
the  changes  made  here  during  the  past  few  years. 
Mr.  Jones,  one  of  the  first  squatters,  was  appointed 
to  the  office  of  postmaster  in  the  autumn  of  1854. 
At  that  time  there  was  no  office,  while  letters  were 
rarities.  The  letters  which  did  come  were  kept  by 
the  postmaster  in  the  crown  of  his  hat  till  he  met 
their  owners,  or  till  their  owners  claimed  them. 
Those  who  expected  letters  had  to  look  sharply 
after  this  official,  and  had  sometimes  to  go  long 


72  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

distances  over  the  prairie  in  order  to  make  the 
necessary  inquiries  of  him.  Only  fifteen  years  have 
elapsed  since  this  primitive  state  of  things  was  the 
rule,  and  the  post-office  has  expanded  from  a  hat 
into  an  office  wherein  six  clerks  are  employed. 

The  early  history  of  the  Pacific  Railway  is  sur 
rounded  with  obscurity,  and  is  the  subject  of 
controversy.  The  claimants  for  the  honour  of 
having  first  mooted  the  project  and  of  having  the 
most  materially  furthered  its  progress  are  very 
numerous.  It  cannot  be  disputed,  however,  that 
John  Plumbe  a  Welshman  by  birth  and  a  natu 
ralised  American,  began  a  vigorous  agitation  in 
1836  in  favour  of  carrying  a  railway  across  the 
Continent.  He  lived  till  after  the  gold  discoveries 
had  been  made  in  California,  and  he  used  them  as 
additional  arguments  in  support  of  his  pet  scheme. 
As  the  tide  of  emigration  flowed  towards  the  Pacific 
slope  and  as  States  and  Territories  of  vast  impor 
tance  were  being  founded  beyond  the  Bocky 
Mountains,  it  became  a  national  necessity  to  obtain 
easy  means  of  communication  between  the  East  and 
the  West.  That  many  men  of  weight  and  ability 
should  have  advocated  the  construction  of  a  railway 
is  merely  what  might  have  been  expected  under 
circumstances  such  as  these. 


OVER  THE  KOCKY  MOUNTAINS.  73 

In  1853,  Congress  voted  funds  wherewith  to  con 
duct  a  survey  in  order  to  ascertain  which  was  the 
best  route.  Two  routes  were  traced  out  and  the 
particulars  concerning  each  were  detailed  in  reports 
which  fill  thirteen  large  volumes.  The  greatest 
difficulty  consisted  in  agreeing,  as  to  whether  the 
more  northerly  or  the  more  southerly  was  the  pre 
ferable  one.  The  representatives  of  the  Northern 
and  Eastern  States  supported  the  former,  while  the 
representatives  of  the  South  preferred  the  latter. 
The  result  was  a  discussion  which  promised  to  be 
interminable.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  outbreak  of 
the  war  this  great  undertaking  might  still  have 
remained  a  project.  But  the  war,  which  was 
destined  to  settle  several  controversies  in  a  decisive 
way,  brought  this  one  to  a  summary  close.  The 
isolation  of  California  was  percived  to  involve 
a  peril  to  the  Union.  To  construct  the  trans 
continental  railway  was  regarded  as  a  strategic 
move.  Those  who  had  favoured  the  extreme 
southerly  route  were  no  longer  able  to  take  part 
in  the  debates  of  Congress,  nor  was  Congress  then 
in  a  position  to  decree  the  construction  of  a  railway 
through  the  southern  part  of  the  States.  Hence, 
when  in  1862  the  scheme  came  up  for  practical 
settlement  the  present  route  was  approved  of  on 
the  ground  that,  despite  some  drawbacks  it  was  on 


74  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

the  whole  the  most  feasible  one  which  could  then 
be  selected. 

Two  Companies  were  empowered  by  Congress  to 
undertake  the  work.,  subject  to  certain  conditions 
and  in  return  for  certain  advantages.  The  Union 
Pacific  Company  was  to  begin  at  Omaha  and  pro 
ceed  Westwards,  the  Central  Pacific  Company  was 
to  begin  at  Sacramento  and  proceed  Eastwards 
and  both  were  to  continue  operations  till  a  junction 
was  effected.  The  estimated  cost  was  one  hundred 
millions  of  dollars,  or  about  20,000,0007.  In  aid  of  the 
undertaking  subsidies  of  bonds,  on  which  the  interest 
was  guaranteed,  and  grants  of  land  along  the  line 
were  awarded  by  Congress.  The  bond  subsidy  was 
divided  into  three  sections.  For  the  most  level 
portion  the  rate  was  sixteen  thousand  dollars  per 
mile;  for  the  portion  more  precipitous,  thirty-two 
thousand  dollars,  and  for  the  mountainous  portion 
forty-eight  thousand  dollars,  per  mile.  The  total 
subsidies  of  this  character  have  been  fifty-eight 
million  eight  hundred  and  forty  thousand  dollars. 
Interest  on  bonds  to  a  like  amount  has  also  been 
guaranteed.  The  land  grants  consist  of  every 
alternate  section  for  twenty  miles  on  each  side  of 
the  line,  that  is  at  the  rate  of  12,800  acres  per  mile. 
It  is  calculated  that  of  these  grants  the  Union 
Pacific  has  become  entitled  to  an  aggregate  of 


OVER  THE  EOCKY  MOUNTAINS.  75 

13,875,200  acres,  and  the  Central  Pacific  to 
8,832,000.  Much  of  this  land  is  valueless,  but 
a  large  proportion  is  of  excellent  quality.  The 
time  may  come  when  by  the  sale  of  the  land  the 
Companies  will  realise  an  amount  sufficient  to  re 
coup  them  for  the  greater  part  of  their  outlay,  and 
thus  the  shareholders .  will  have  acquired  a  most 
lucrative  property  for  an  almost  nominal  sum.  But 
the  individual  advantages  which  may  hereafter  be 
reaped  no  one  should  grudge.  The  prospective 
gain  to  the  Companies  is  a  mere  trifle  when  com 
pared  with  the  immediate  and  tangible  benefit 
which  has  already  been  conferred  on  the  country. 
Less  wise  than  some  of  the  other  provisions  was  one 
inserted  in  the  charters  in  furtherance  of  the  policy 
of  Protection  which  was  rampant  at  the  time  when 
Congress  legislated  for  this  railway.  It  was  pro 
vided,  under  the  penalty  of  forfeiture  of  all  the 
privileges  conferred,  that  every  pound  of  manufac 
tured  iron  used  in  the  construction  of  the  line 
should  be  of  home  make.  This  was  done  at  the 
instigation  and  for  the  personal  enrichment  of  the 
iron-masters  of  Pennsylvania.  Several  American 
gentlemen  with  whom  I  conversed  on  the  subject 
censured  this  arrangement  in  stronger  terms  than  I 
care  to  reproduce.  The  bargain  was  unfair  to  the 
nation.  The  result  of  it  has  been  to  add  at  least 


76  WESTWARD  BY  KAIL. 

twenty  million  of  dollars  to  the  cost  of  construction. 
Nor  is  this  lavish  and  needless  expenditure  the 
-worst  part  of  the  arrangement.  The  iron  is  ad 
mitted  to  be  at  once  more  costly  and  less  perfect 
than  that  which  the  Companies  might  have  imported 
from  Europe  had  their  charters  permitted  them  the 
free  exercise  of  their  discretion. 

Quite  as  noteworthy  as  the  fact  of  the  line 
having  been  constructed  at  all,  is  the  speed  with 
which  it  was  completed.  On  the  5th  November, 
1865,  the  first  sod  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railway  was 
turned  near  the  Missouri  River,  and  within  a  short 
distance  of  Omaha.  In  less  than  four  years  after 
wards  the  line  was  completed,  the  ceremony  of 
driving  the  last  spike  having  taken  place  on  the 
10th  May,  1869.  When  it  is  considered  that  the 
length  of  one  portion  is  1,084  miles,  the  rapidity 
of  construction  almost  staggers  the  most  credulous. 
It  is  true  that  the  line  is  a  single  one,  that  the 
stations  are  temporary  structures,  and  that  the 
bridges  are  built  of  wood,  yet  this  does  not  render 
the  enterprise  the  less  extraordinary. 

Passing  from  statistics  about  the  Union  Pacific 
to  an  account  of  personal  experience  of  the  rail 
way,  let  it  be  supposed  that  the  forenoon  train  is 
about  to  start  on  its  long  journey  of  more  than 


OVER  THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAINS.  77 

1,000  miles  from  the  terminus  at  Omaha  to  the 
station  at  Promontory,  which  is  the  eastern  termi 
nus  of  the  Central  Pacific.  Confusion  reigns 
supreme  here,  as  at  most  American  railway  stations. 
Excited  passengers  are  rushing  about  in  quest  of 
the  luggage  which,  despite  the  system  of '  checking/ 
is  often  going  astray  or  getting  out  of  sight. 
Frantic  efforts  are  made  to  attract  the  attention  of 
the  baggage  clerk,  and  to  induce  him  to  attach  the 
necessary  check  to  the  trunk  or  portmanteau,  which 
has  at  length  been  discovered.  Those  who  get 
this  part  of  their  business  over  proceed  to  the 
office  in  order  to  secure  berths  in  Pullman's  sleep 
ing  car.  T.ie  number  of  these  berths  is  limited 
and  bitter  is  the  disappointment  of  those  who  fail 
in  obtaining  one.  The  prospect  of  spending  se 
veral  nights  in  an  ordinary  car  is  enough  to  depress 
the  mind  and  daunt  the  courage  of  the  hardiest 
traveller.  Having  had  the  good  fortune  to  be 
among  those  who  had  secured  berths  by  telegraph, 
I  was  able  to  hear  the  exclamations  of  the  disap 
pointed  with  pleasant  equanimity.  As  a  class,  the 
passengers  differed  greatly  from  those  with  whom  I 
journeyed  to  Omaha  from  Chicago.  Some  were 
old  Californians  returning  home  after  a  visit  to  their 
birthplaces  in  the  Eastern  States.  Others  were 
taking  the  overland  route  to  San  Francisco,  in 


78  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

order  to  compare  its  comforts  with  those  of  the 
route  across  the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  A  consider 
able  proportion  consisted  of  adventurers  bound  for 
California  to  seek  their  fortunes,  and  a  very  few 
were  travelling  for  their  pleasure.  To  nearly 
every  one  the  journey  is  a  new  one,  partaking  of 
the  character  of  a  daring  enterprise.  Some  who 
profess  to  be  well  informed  mis-spend  their  time 
in  endeavours  to  excite  the  fears  of  the  timid  and 
the  apprehensions  of  the  excitable.  They  enlarge 
on  •  the  dangers  incident  to  a  line  constructed  too 
hurriedly.  They  draw  ghastly  pictures  of  perils 
to  be  faced  in  the  event  of  the  wild  Indians  putting 
obstructions  in  the  way  of  the  train,  and  attacking 
the  passengers.  It  is  possible  that  these  tales 
promoted  the  sale  of  insurance  tickets.  An  agent 
of  a  railway  insurance  company  walked  through 
the  train  before  it  left  the  station,  and  vigorously 
canvassed  the  passengers.  Many  of  them  had 
already  made  this  provision  for  accidents.  Indeed, 
the  Americans  are  too  shrewd  a^  people  to  omit 
making  arrangements  in  view  of  the  consequences 
of  a  railway  accident.  In  '  Appleton's  Handbook 
of  American  Travel '  the  last  piece  of  advice  given 
in  the  introduction  is,  f  Having  laid  in  your  neces 
sary  supplies,  it  only  remains  for  you  to  insure 
yourself  against  accident  by  sea  or  land.'  The 


OVER  THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAINS.  79 

reader  of  this  is  not  unnaturally  induced  to  ask 
himself  whether,  if  pleasure  travelling  in  the  United 
States  be  regarded  as  fraught  with  so  much  danger 
it  is  not  wiser  to  stay  at  home. 

Four  miles  after  leaving  Omaha,  the  first  stop 
page  is  made.  The  journey  is  now  fairly  begun 
and  every  one  is  on  the  look  out  for  new  scenery 
and  strange  adventures.  As  mile  after  mile  is  left 
behind,  the  remark  is  very  generally  made  that  the 
surrounding  country,  instead  of  being  wild  and 
desolate,  is  rich  and  filled  with  settlers.  Farm 
houses  and  tilled  fields  are  seen  on  both  sides  of 
the  line,  and  this  spectacle  is  a  common  one 
throughout  a  large  tract  of  the  State  of  Nebraska. 
The  Platte  river  is  the  first  object  of  interest  which 
breaks  the  monotony  of  the  plains.  Along  the 
south  bank  of  this  river  runs  the  old  emigrant 
road  for  many  miles.  The  train  of  white-covered 
waggons,  called  (  Prairie  Schooners,'  drawn  by  teams 
of  oxen,  might  in  former  days  be  seen  stretching 
as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  At  long  intervals 
the  sight  of  one  or  two  of  these  waggons  recalls 
the  bygone  times,  when  a  trip  across  the  plains  took 
as  many  months  as  it  now  takes  days,  and  was 
seldom  accomplished  without  the  loss  of  several 
cattle,  and  of  a  few  human  lives.  The  magnitude 
of  the  trade  carried  on  over  the  plains  may  be 


80  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

understood  from  the  fact  that  nearly  7,000  men 
regularly  earned  their  living  as  teamsters.  Glad 
though  the  drivers  of  these  teams  were  to  keep  near 
thp  Platte  River  as  long  as  possible,  they  were  by 
no  means  pleased  with  the  river  itself.  Its  channel 
is  continually  shifting,  and  its  bed  is  treacherous 
sand.  Looked  at,  the  river  seems  one  of  those 
noble  streams  destined  by  nature  to  bear  heavily 
laden  vessels  on  its  bosom.  In  breadth  it  averages 
three-quarters  of  a  mile.  The  water  is  turbid,  and 
its  depth  seldom  exceeds  six  inches.  But  while  it 
has  these  drawbacks,  it  is  nevertheless  the  silent- 
agent  of  innumerable  blessings  to  this  section  of  the 
country.  The  valley  through  which  it  flows  is 
fertilised  by  its  waters.  Luxuriant  vegetation  and 
clumps  of  trees  attest  the  course  of  the  stream. 
Without  this  river  the  valley  would  be  a  waste ; 
with  the  river  the  valley  only  awaits  the  hand  of 
man  to  be  transformed  into  a  garden. 

The  first  real  sensation  is  obtained  at  Jackson, 
a  small  station  an  hundred  miles  west  of  Omaha. 
Here  many  of  the  passengers  see  genuine  Indians 
for  the  first  time — that  is,  men  who  live  by  hunting, 
and  who  glory  in  getting  scalps.  They  are  Paw 
nees.  We  are  told  that  they  are  friendly  Indians, 
being  supporters  of  the  United  States  Government. 
They  may  be  friendly  at  heart,  but  they  are  blood- 


OVEE  THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAINS.  81 

thirsty  in  appearance.  They  probably  consider 
themselves  civilised,  for  each  carries  a  revolver  in 
a  belt  strapped  round  his  waist.  That  they  are 
staunch  adherents  to  old  traditions  is  proved  by  an 
inspection  of  their  encampment.  Outside  the  tents 
are  poles  stuck  into  the  ground.  From  the  tops  of 
these  poles,  wisps  of  hair  flutter  in  the  breeze.  The 
seeker  after  knowledge  naturally  asks  the  meaning 
of  these  things.  His  belief  in  the  friendliness  of 
the  Pawnees  is  not  strengthened  when  he  is  in 
formed  that  the  wisps  of  hair  are  trophies  of  victory 
which  have  been  cut  from  the  heads  of  vanquished 
foes.  The  Indians,  whose  advance  in  civilisation  is 
manifested  by  the  addition  of  the  revolver  to  the 
scalping-knife,  are  not  persons  for  whom  it  is  pos 
sible  to  entertain  great  admiration.  Their  ac 
quaintance  is  more  to  be  avoided  than  courted. 
Seen  at  a  distance  they  are  picturesque  additions  to 
the  landscape ;  when  met  by  the  defenceless  tra 
veller  they  prove  to  be  brutal  monsters.  The  chief 
testimony  given  in  favour  of  the  Pawnees  is  that 
they  are  better  than  the  Sioux,  and  that  they  are 
always  ready  to  demonstrate  their  loyalty  to  the 
Union  by  murdering  the  Sioux  without  mercy. 
How  to  deal  with  the  Indians  is  one  of  the  most 
complex  among  the  problems  with  which  the  Go 
vernment  of  the  United  States  has  to  deal.  The 


82  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

desire  is  to  treat  them  with  perfect  fairness,  and  to 
strain  many  points  in  their  favour.  But  the  con 
duct  of  the  Indians  themselves  is  the  frequent  bur 
to  a  uniform  adherence  to  a  policy  of  gentleness. 
The  stories  of  Indian  outrages,  which  are  told  by 
the  settlers  on  the  plains,  excite  indignation  and 
inspire  revenge  in  the  breasts  of  the  most  humane. 
It  is  true,  on  the  other  hand,  that  the  settlers  have 
been  guilty  of  many  barbarities.  They  maintain, 
however,  that  if  they  slaughter  Indians  it  is  always 
in  self-defence,  or  in  retaliation  for  some  intolerable 
and  unpardonable  outrage.  The  Indians,  they  say, 
not  content  with  slaying  white  men  in  cold  blood, 
must  needs  torture  their  victims  with  every  refine 
ment  of  Savage  brutality.  Were  it  a  mere  question 
of  shooting  the  men  with  whom  they  came  into 
contact,  or  against  whom  they  had  a  grudge,  the 
white  men  would  have  less  complaints  to  make. 
It  is  the  practice  of  torture,  rather  than  the  com 
mission  of  murder,  which  displeases  and  provokes 
them.  Certainly,  if  but  one  half  of  the  stories  be 
true,  the  hatred  borne  by  the  white  men  against 
the  Indians  is  not  without  excuse.  It  would  be 
well,  however,  before  coining  to  a  decision,  to  learn 
the  Indian  version  of  the  case. 

At  Grand  Island  station  the  train  stops,  and  the 
passengers  arc  allowed  half  an  hour   for  supper. 


OVER  THE  KOOKY  MOUNTAINS.       83 

On  leaving  this  place  the  traveller  is  told  that  if  of 
a  religious  turn  of  mind  he  may  bid  good-bye  to 
schools  and  churches,  and  keep  *  his  eye  peeled  '  for 
buffalo.  The  next  two  hundred  miles  run  through 
the  tract  crossed  by  the  buffalo  herds  on  their  mi 
grations  from  South  to  North.  However,  the  ex 
pectation  of  getting  a  sight  of  these  denizens  of  the 
plains  is  one  which  is  more  frequently  excited  than 
gratified.  Since  the  opening  of  the  railway  the 
buffaloes  have  shunned  this  district.  They  may 
return  to  it  again,  as  it  is  not  uncommon  for  them 
to  leave  a  particular  spot  and  then  revisit  it  after 
the  lapse  of  two  or  three  years.  Still,  the  days 
of  buffalo-hunting  are  numbered.  As  the  country 
becomes  settled,  the  bunch  grass,  which  is  the 
favourite  food  of  the  buffalo,  gives  place  to  the  corn 
plant.  Already  the  newspapers  of  these  districts 
are  protesting  against  the  wholesale  slaughter  of 
buffaloes  by  sportsmen.  When  the  time  arrives 
for  preserving  wild  animals,  the  moment  of  their 
extinction  is  not  distant.  To  the  passengers  by 
this  train  the  presence  or  absence  of  buffalo  herds 
mattered  little,  seeing  that  the  favourite  feeding- 
grounds  of  these  animals  were  passed  during  the 
night.  The  event  of  the  succeeding  morning  was 
halting  at  Cheyenne  city  for  breakfast.  This  is 
one  of  the  towns  which  sprang  up  during  the  con- 
5 


84  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

struction  of  the  railway.  In  July,  1867,  there  was 
but  one  house  here.  At  present  there  are  3,000 
inhabitants  in  Cheyenne.  The  population  has  been 
as  large  as  6,000.  It  was  what  is  here  styled  a 
(  rough  place,'  that  is  to  say  a  miniature  hell  upon 
earth.  Thieves  and  gamblers,  murderers  and  pro 
stitutes,  were  numbered  among  its  '  prominent  citi 
zens.'  But  the  day  of  its  orgies  is  passed  away ; 
the  scum  of  the  population  has  moved  off  to  other 
pastures,  and  the  streets  of  Cheyenne  are  as  quiet 
as  the  streets  of  other  Western  cities  in  which  law 
has  conquered  license.  The  breakfast  supplied  at 
the  railway-station  deserves  a  word  of  praise.  It 
was  a  plain  but  wholesome  meal,  and  it  had  the 
charm  of  novelty  in  the  shape  of  antelope  steaks. 
The  flesh  of  the  antelope  is  most  palatable,  the 
flavour  being  something  between  the  flavour  of 
venison  and  beef.  The  animal  is  a  hardy  one,  and 
it  might  easily  be  acclimatised  in  England. 

The  scenery  from  this  point  onwards  is  tame  and 
uninteresting.  In  every  direction  the  limitless 
plains  extend  to  the  horizon.  Here  and  there  a 
tuft  of  wild  flowers  relieves  the  monotony  of  the 
grass  flats.  A  herd  of  antelopes  bounding  along  is 
a  sight  most  welcome  to  the  fatigued  eye,  while  the 
rare  spectacle  of  two  Rocky  Mountain  sheep,  with 
wild  aspect  and  long  twisted  horns,  excites  specula- 


OVEE  THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAINS.  85 

tion  as  to  how  they  had  wandered  so  far  from  their 
native  haunts.  Dead  oxen  by  the  wayside  bear 
witness  to  the  passage  of  an  emigrant  train,  and  to 
losses  sustained  by  its  members.  At  Hazard,  a 
station  beyond  Cheyenne,  is  a  little  mountain  tarn. 
A  few  miles  farther  on,  small  patches  of  white  in 
the  crevices  of  the  rocks  cause  the  statement  to  be 
made  that  the  country  of  alkali  dust  has  been 
reached  at  last.  This,  however,  is  contradicted. 
The  patches  in  question  prove  to  be  traces  of  snow. 
It  is  true  that  the  sun  shines  brightly  overhead, 
and  that  the  winter  has  not  yet  begun.  Neverthe 
less,  the  intense  coldness  of  the  air  excites  general 
remark.  The  explanation  is  simple.  We  are 
nearing  the  highest  point  of  the  line.  Since  leav 
ing  Omaha  the  ascent  has  been  gradual,  but  con 
tinuous.  We  have  ascended  nearly  8,000  feet 
above  the  sea  level,  and  the  height  gained  is  amidst 
the  peaks  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  on  which  snow 
always  rests,  and  where  not  a  day  throughout  the 
year  passes  without  the  fall  of  a  larger  or  smaller 
quantity  of  snow.  The  purity  of  the  air  is  extreme. 
Objects  many  miles  distant  seem  as  if  they  were 
but  as  many  feet  removed  from  the  spectator. 
With  difficulty  do  the  lungs  become  fully  inflated, 
so  great  is  the  rarity  of  the  air.  As  mile  after  mile 
is  traversed  the  ground  is  more  steep.  Cuttings 


86  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

through  the  rocks  have  been  made  to  reduce  the 
incline.  The  strain  on  the  engine  becomes  greater; 
the  speed  of  the  train  is  diminished,  until  the  ascent 
is  finally  made,  and  the  train  halts  at  Sherman, 
a  railway  station  of  which  the  elevation  exceeds 
that  of  any  in  the  world,  it  being  situated  8,235 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 


V  . 

THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAINS  TO  THE  GREA1  SALT  LAKE. 

SHERMAN  STATION,  the  highest  point  on  the 
Pacific  Railway,  is  in  the  Territory  of  Wyoming, 
the  youngest  among  the  Territories  of  the  United 
States.  It  was  named  after  the  Valley  in  Penn 
sylvania  which  is  known  in  history  us  the  scene  of 
a  horrible  massacre  and  which  lives  in  poetry  as 
the  abode  of  Campbell's  *  Gertrude.*  Wyoming 
Territory  has  already  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
world  on  account  of  the  social  and  political  reforms 
of  which  it  has  been  the  theatre.  Here  the  enfran 
chisement  of  women  has  not  only  been  conceded,  but 
the  logical  results  have  been  accepted.  Women  have 
been  empanelled  as  jurors,  and  even  entrusted  with 
the  discharge  of  judicial  functions. 

Some  writers  strongly  advise  the  traveller  to 
make  a  halt  at  Sherman  station.  The  inducements 
held  out  to  him  arc  mountain  scenery,  invigorating 
air,  fishing,  and  hunting.  A  sojourn  among  the 
peaks  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  has  the  attraction  of 


88  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

novelty  to  recommend  it.  Life  there  must  be,  in 
every  sense  of  the  word,  a  new  sensation.  But 
some  sensations  are  undesirable  notwithstanding 
their  undoubted  freshness.  That  splendid  trout 
swarm  in  the  streams  near  Sherman  admits  of  no 
dispute.  Yet  the  disciple  of  Isaac  Walton  should 
not  be  tempted  to  indulge  rashly  in  his  harmless 
and  charming  sport.  It  is  delightful  to  hook  large 
fish ;  but  it  is  less  agreeable  to  be  pierced  through 
by  arrows.  Now,  the  latter  contingency  is  among 
the  probabilities  which  must  be  taken  into  conside 
ration.  A  few  weeks  prior  to  my  journey,  one  of 
the  conductors  of  the  train  by  which  I  travelled 
learned,  by  practical  experience,  that  fishing  amid 
the  Rocky  Mountains  has  palpable  and  painful 
drawbacks.  Having  taken  a  few  days'  holiday,  he 
went  forth,  fishing-rod  in  hand,  to  amuse  himself. 
While  whipping  the  stream  in  the  innocence  of  his 
heart,  he  was  startled  to  find  himself  made  the 
target  for  arrows  shot  by  wild  Indians.  He  sought 
safety  in  flight,  and  recovered  from  his  wounds 
to  the  surprise  as  much  as  to  the  gratification 
of  his  friends.  His  story  did  not  render  me  de 
sirous  of  sharing  his  fate.  The  trout-fisher  might 
employ  his  leisure  to  greater  advantage  elsewhere 
than  in  the  Territory  of  Wyoming.  The  sportsman 
runs  fewer  risks  and  would  fare  much  better.  If 


EOCKY  MOUNTAINS  TO  THE  GEEAT  SALT  LAKE.    89 

he  sallied  forth  to  shoot  antelopes,  elk,  or  deer,  he 
might  return  unpierced  by  arrows  and  laden  with 
game.  The  Indians  are  bold  and  forward  enough 
in  presence  of  a  man  carrying  a  fishing-rod,  but 
they  keep  at  a  very  respectful  distance  from  him 
who  is  armed  with  a  repeating  rifle.  The  accom 
modation  at  Sherman  is  not  luxurious.  It  is  a  place 
consisting  of  a  few  buildings  erected  for  the  use  of 
the  railway  officials. 

The  scenery  around  Sherman  is  bleak  and  wild. 
Several  famous  peaks  are  said  to  be  perceptible  in 
the  far  distance.  I  have  read  a  statement  to  the 
effect  that  Long's  Peak,  one  of  the  principal 
mountains  of  Colorado,  75  miles  to  the  South 
west,  and  Pike's  Peak,  lf>5  miles  to  the  South  are 
'  both  plainly  visible.'  To  the  North,  Elk  Moun 
tain  is. s  another  noted  landmark,'  about  100  miles 
distant.  It  is  possible  that  these  mountain  tops 
may  have  been  discerned  in  a  vision  by  the  com 
pilers  of  guide  books.  To  the  eye  of  the  ordinary 
and  unimaginative  traveller  they  are  invisible. 
What  he  does  see  to  the  left  of  the  line  looking 
westward  is  the  snow-capped  range  of  the  Wahsatch 
mountains.  On  the  right  are  rough  and  irregular 
elevations  dotted  over  with  dark  pines.  These  are 
the  Black  Hills  of  Wyoming.  A  huge  mass  of  red 
rock  stands  forth  here  and  there  on  the  solitary 


(JO  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

plains.  Most  welcome  to  eyes  wearied  with  the 
savage  grandeur  of  the  scene,  are  the  patches  of 
purple  and  yellow  wild  flowers  which  flourish  amidst 
the  short  brown  grass.  It  is  with  a  feeling  of  relief 
that  Sherman  station  is  left  behind.  The  train 
descends  by  its  own  weight  the  rapid  incline  which 
leads  to  the  Laramie  Plains.  Three  miles  west 
ward  of  Sherman  the  line  crosses  Dale  Creek  on 
one  of  those  wooden  bridges  which  appear  so  un 
substantial,  yet  are  said  to  be  so  strong.  It  is 
650  feet  long  and  126  feet  high.  The  trestle  work 
of  which  it  consists  resembles  the  scaffolding  erected 
for  the  purpose  of  painting  the  outside  of  a  London 
house.  An  enthusiastic  writer  terms  this  bridge 
'  the  grandest  feature  of  the  road,*  and  commends  it 
for  its  t  light,  airy,  and  graceful  appearance.'  The 
contractors  are  said  to  boast  of  having  erected  it  in 
the  short  space  of  thirty  days.  It  is  not  stated  how 
many  days  the  bridge  will  bear  the  strain  almost 
hourly  put  upon  it.  More  than  one  passenger  who 
would  rather  lose  a  fine  sight  than  risk  a  broken 
neck  breathes  more  freely,  and  gives  audible  ex 
pression  to  his  satisfaction,  once  the  cars  have 
passed  in  safety  over  this  remarkable  wooden  struc 
ture.  Downwards  speeds  the  train,  at  a  pace  which 
makes  one  shudder  at  the  consequences  of  an  acci 
dent.  In  twenty  miles  the  descent  of  a  thousand 


EOCKY  MOUNTAINS  TO  THE  GKEAT  SALT  LAKE.    91 

feet  is  accomplished.  No  steam  power  is  employed. 
On  the  contrary,  the  brakes  are  tightly  screwed 
down  alike  on  the  locomotive  and  the  cars.  At 
Laramie  City  a  halt  of  thirty  minutes  is  made,  and 
a  good  meal  is  provided  for  the  hungry  passengers. 
We  are  now  in  the  midst  of  the  Laramie  plains, 
reputed  to  be  the  finest  grazing  land  in  this  part  of 
the  Continent.  Here  thousands  of  buffaloes  used 
to  feed  and  wax  fat.  With  the  exception  of  Texas, 
no  place  can  be  found  where  cattle  may  be  fattened 
at  a  less  cost.  As  we  proceed  onwards  the  plains 
widen  on  either  side,  and  the  mountain  ranges  re 
cede  into  the  distance.  We  are  again  on  the  rolling 
prairie,  but  not  such  a  prairie  as  is  to  be  found  in 
the  States  of  Illinois  and  Iowa.  The  sage-brush 
plant  begins  to  show  itself.  This  constitutes  the  sole 
vegetation  of  the  arid  and  desolate  tract  which  is 
known  by  the  name  of  the  Great  American  Desert. 
The  only  thing  alleged  in  favour  of  the  sage-brush 
is  that,  when  used  as  a  medicine,  it  is  a  specific  for 
ague.  If  the  malady  were  as  common  as  the  plant 
is  plentiful  hardly  a  human  being  would  escape  a 
seizure.  Millions  of  acres  are  covered  with  sage 
brush.  On  the  right  of  the  line  is  a  small  sheet  of 
water,  to  which  the  name  of  Como  Lake  has  been 
given.  In  nothing  but  the  name  does  it  recall  the 
famous  Italian  Lake,  yet  the  prospect  is  a  pleasing 


92  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

relief  to  the  monotony  of  the  surrounding  waste. 
Carbon  station  is  one  very  important  in  reality, 
though  apparently  insignificant.  Here  the  com 
pany's  workmen  made  a  discovery  which  has  helped 
to  fill  the  company's  coffers.  During  the  construc 
tion  of  the  line  a  seam  of  coal  was  cut  through. 

o 

This  was  literally  a  godsend.  It  had  been  feared 
that  all  the  fuel  used  along  the  line  would  have  to 
be  transported  from  the  remote  East.  In  this 
locality  wood  is  very  scarce,  and  the  carriage  of 
coal  would  have  been  costly.  However,  the  dis 
covery  of  a  coal-field  at  Carbon  settled  the  fuel 
question  at  once  and  for  ever.  The  quality  of  the 
coal  is  first-class,  and  the  quantity  is  practically  un 
limited.  Two  hundred  tons  a  day  are  extracted 
with  ease.  Not  only  is  the  coal  burned  in  the  loco 
motives,  but  it  is  also  supplied  to  the  stations  along 
the  line,  being  sent  as  far  eastwards  as  Omaha.  Nor 
is  this  the  only  coalfield  which  has  been  discovered 
and  worked  at  a  profit.  In  other  parts  of  the  Terri 
tory  large  fields  of  coal  have  been  proved  to  exist, 
while  iron  ore  of  the  richest  kind  abounds  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  coal.  Thus  the  Black  Hills  which 
have  been  regarded  as  yielding  nothing  but  dark 
pine  and  have  been  more  notable  heretofore  for 
their  picturesqueness  than  their  mineral  treasures, 
may  hereafter  become  the  centre  of  an  industry  in 


ROCKY  MOUNTAINS  TO  THE  GREAT  SALT  LAKE.  93 

coal  and  iron  as  important  as  any  upon  this  Con 
tinent.  From  this  point  the  line  passes  through 
elevated  land  on  either  side,  till  a  wild  gorge  is 
entered  a  few  miles  to  the  east  of  Fort  Steele.  The 
mountains  which  stretch  away  from  the  mouth  of 
the  gorge  seem  designed  to  guard  its  entrance. 
They  have  the  look  of  battlements  carefully  wrought 
and  prepared  to  withstand  a  siege.  The  beholder 
naturally  expects  to  see  sentinels  keeping  watch  on 
the  top,  and  cannon  protruding  over  the  sides.  It 
is  difficult  to  believe  that  these  escarpments  have 
been  cut  by  no  mortal  hand,  but  are  due  to  the 
action  of  the  warring  elements  011  the  friable  red 
rock.  At  Fort  Steele  there  is  a  garrison  of  four 
companies.  All  around  is  barrenness  and  desola 
tion.  Nothing  but  sage-brush  covers  the  ground. 
The  pools  of  water  are  bitter  with  alkali.  Great 
enthusiasm  or  a  high  sense  of  duty  can  alone  render 
life  here  other  than  a  perpetual  burden.  At  Raw- 
lings  Springs  a  stoppage  is  made  for  supper,  and  a 
few  miles  farther  on  the  backbone  of  the  Continent 
is  reached  and  crossed.  This  point  is  191  miles 
west  of  Sherman,  and  1,034  miles  distant  from  Sacra 
mento.  The  height  above  the  level  of  the  sea  is 
more  than  1,000  feet  less  than  at  Sherman,  yet  the 
configuration  of  the  country  is  such  as  to  constitute 
this  the  watershed,  whence  the  stream  which  runs 


94  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

East  falls  into  the  Atlantic,  and  the  stream  which 
runs  West  falls  into  the  Pacific. 

At  an  early  hour  the  following  morning  the 
passengers  are  roused  to  take  breakfast  at  Wahsatch. 
This  place  has  a  bad  reputation.  I  was  told  that 
'  out  of  twenty-four  graves  here,  but  one  held  the 
remains  of  a  person  who  had  died  a  natural  death, 
and  that  was  a  prostitute  who  had  poisoned  herself.' 
I  give  the  statement  in  the  words  of  my  informant, 
It  was  evidently  his  opinion  that  suicide  was  per 
fectly  natural  under  the  circumstances ;  and  possibly 
he  was  right.  The  line  is  now  in  Utah  Territory  ; 
the  land  we  now  see  is  the  land  of  the  Mormons, 
and  the  people  are  Saints  in  name.  Moreover,  this 
part  is  the  most  striking  and  picturesque  of  any  on 
the  Union  Pacific  Railway,  for  the  line  runs  along 
Echo  and  "Weber  Canyons,*  passing  by  the  Devil's 
Slide,  passing  through  the  Devil's  Gate.  It  was  in 

*  As  the  word  '  Canyon '  will  occur  several  times,  I  may  now 
explain  its  meaning  and  defend  tho  form  of  spelling  which  I  have 
adopted.  The  word  which  is  a  Spanish  one,  and  as  such  is  spelled 
Canon,  signifies  a  ravine.  Here  it  is  always  used  to  denote  thoso 
sudden  depressions  in  the  ground,  the  sides  of  which  descend  sheer 
down  to  the  depth  of  from  two  to  six  thousand  feet,  which  are  com 
mon  in  Colorado,  Utah,  Nevada,  and  California.  Some  persons 
write  the  word  in  its  Spanish  form  ;  others  spell  it  •  Kauyon,'  while 
the  most  general  method  of  spelling  it  is  Canyon.  I  have  thought 
it  best  to  spell  the  word  in  the  way  which  renders  its  correct  pro 
nunciation  easy,  and  to  conform,  at  the  same  time,  to  the  practice  of 
the  majority. 


ROCKY  MOUNTAINS  TO  THE  GREAT  SALT  LAKE.   95 

Echo  Canyon  that  the  Mormons  determined  to  make 
a  stand  against  the  army  commanded  by  General 
Johnson,  which  President  Buchanan  sent  to  subdue 
them  in  1857.  They  fortified  the  pass  on  the 
system  which  barbarous  tribes  adopt  to  withstand 
the  passage  of  regular  troops  through  mountainous 
countries.  At  the  height  of  a  thousand  feet  above 
the  bed  of  the  Canyon,  huge  rocks  were  heaped 
up  in  readiness  to  be  hurled  down  upon  the  soldiers 
toiling  along  below.  But  the  experiment  was  not 
tried.  General  Johnson  negotiated  instead  of 
fighting,  assented  to  the  Mormon  demands  instead 
of  insisting  upon  the  acceptance  by  them  of  the 
terms  he  was  sent  to  enforce.  This  was  the  be 
ginning  of  the  temporising  policy  which,  since  then, 
has  characterised  the  dealings  of  the  United  States 
Government  with  the  Mormons. 

While  passing  through  these  Canyons  the  pas 
sengers  are  eagerly  watching  the  points  of  interest 
which  abound.  The  platform  of  an  American 
railroad  car  is  well  adapted  for  the  sight-seer. 
Although  passengers  are  forbidden  to  stand  on  the 
platform,  yet  the  rule  is  one  to  which  the  excep 
tions  are  numerous  enough  for  the  convenience  of 
all  who  choose  to  run  a  little  risk.  Adequately 
to  depict  the  spectacle  is  hardly  possible.  It  is 
pre-eminently  a  grand  one.  It  recalls  the  magni- 


96  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

ficent  sight  to  be  witnessed  between  Botzen  and 
Verona  when  the  railway  passes  near  to  the  gi 
gantic  piles  of  rock  which  have  been  fitly  entitled 
The  Gateways  of  the  Alps.  Beneath  our  feet  the 
Weber  river  rushes  along  in  turbulent  might.  At 
one  moment  the  line  skirts  the  margin  of  deep, 
dark  pools.  At  another  a  bend  removes  the  river 
into  the  distance,  and  then  the  attention  is  fixed 
on  some  huge  chasm  in  the  rugged  mountain  side. 
Where  the  pass  narrows  stands  a  solitary  pine 
bearing  the  name  of  the  1,000  mile  tree.  It  was 
so  named  because  it  was  the  first  tree  of  any  size 
which  the  constructors  of  the  railway  met  with 
while  they  were  carrying  the  line  westward  from 
Omaha.  High  up  on  the  distant  mountain  slopes 
are  beautiful  tufts  of  a  red  shrub,  and  in  the  clefts 
of  the  rocks  are  a  few  stunted  trees,  but  with 
these  exceptions  the  whole  scene  is  wild  and  barren. 
Not  far  from  the  tree  just  mentioned  is  the  Devil's 
Slide.  This  resembles  the  wooden  structures,  down 
which  the  trees  cut  on  mountain  heights  are  shot 
to  the  river  below,  only  this  slide  is  fashioned  by 
Nature's  hand  out  of  solid  rock.  Swiftly  does 
the  train  speed  along  the  Canyon,  until  emerging 
from  the  narrow  space  between  the  sundered  rocks 
which  is  called  the  Devil's  Gate,  the  Great  Salt 
Lake  is  discerned  in  the  distance,  and  the  view  of 


EOCKY  MOUNTAINS  TO  THE  GEEAT  SALT  LAKE.    97 

a  luxuriant  valley  is  in  pleasing  contrast  to  the 
frowning  rock  and  foaming  river.  The  train  stops 
at  Uintah.  Here  Mormon  lads  sells  peaches  and 
Mormon  women  tempt  the  ladies  in  the  train  to 
purchase  gloves  which  they  have  tastefully  em 
broidered. 


98  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 


VII. 

VISIT  TO  THE  MORMOSS :  THE  CITY  OF  THE  SAIXTS. 

THE  Pacific  Hallway  runs  through  Utah  Territory 
and  skirts  the  northern  end  of  the  Great  Salt 
Lake,  From  the  nearest  railway  station  to  the 
City  of  the  Saints  the  distance  is  about  forty  miles. 
A  branch  line,  called  the  Utah  Central  Kailroad, 
has  now  brought  Salt  Lake  City  into  communica 
tion  by  rail  with  the  principal  American  cities  of 
the  East  and  "West.  When  I  made  the  journey, 
the  visitor  to  the  capital  of  Mormondom  had  to 
leave  the  Union  Pacific  at  Uintah  station,  and  to 
take  a  seat  in  one  of  the  stage  coaches  of  "Wells, 
Fargo,  &  Co.  The  coach  which  meets  the  train  is 
what  is  styled  a  '  Concord  Coach.'  It  has  seats 
for  nine  persons  inside  and  for  at  least  five  on  the 
roof.  The  inside  seat  for  three  is  placed  crosswise 
between  the  two  doors.  Those  who  occupy  it  arc 
not  only  cramped,  but  are  exposed  to  disagreeable 
pressure  from  the  knees  of  the  passengers  behind, 
as  well  as  to  inconvenience  from  the  feet  and  legs 
of  those  facing  them.  To  suffer  this  during  five 


THE  CITY  OF  THE  SAINTS.  99 

hours,  the  time  occupied  by  the  journey,  is  bad 
enough,  yet  this  is  not  the  worst.  The  road  itself 
is  unique  of  its  kind.  To  rival  it  would  be  diffi 
cult;  to  surpass  it  impossible.  In  badness  it  is 
pre-eminent.  Execrable  is  the  strongest  epithet 
in  the  language  for  a  road  having  no  redeeming 
points.  This  word,  however,  serves  but  feebly  and 
inadequately  to  describe  and  stigmatise  the  road 
between  Uintah  station  and  Salt  Lake  City. 
There  are  innumerable  ruts  and  depressions  in  it. 
Huge  stones  interpose  obstacles  to  the  smooth 
passage  of  a  vehicle.  If  the  occurrence  of  the 
ruts  were  more  uniform,  and  the  arrangement  of 
the  stones  more  regular,  less  complaint  might  with 
justice  be  made.  But  the  perverse  combination  of 
the  two  is  utterly  unbearable.  On  one  side,  at 
short  distances  apart,  is  a  rut  a  foot  deep,  on  the 
opposite  side  is  a  row  of  stones  a  foot  high.  As 
the  four  horses  harnessed  to  the  coach  draw  it 
rapidly  over  those  rough  places,  the  effect  is  that 
of  a  sudden  lurch  and  stunning  blow  produced 
simultaneously.  The  swing  to  the  one  side,  which 
follows  the  sinking  of  the  wheels,  bumps  the  pas 
sengers  against  the  sides  and  against  each  other, 
while  the  jar  of  the  other  wheels  against  the  stones, 
throws  their  heads  against  the  roof  or  their  backs 
against  the  front  or  rear  of  the  coach.  Thus  they 


100  WESTWARD  BY  EAIL. 

learn,  in  a  way  alike  practical  and  unpleasant,  the 
import  of  the  threat  to  beat  a  man  into  a  jelly  or 
to  break  every  bone  in  his  body.  On  reaching 
their  destination  the  passengers  have  good  grounds 
for  charging  the  company  with  a  species  of  assault 
and  battery.  That  no  steps  have  yet  been  taken 
with  a  view  to  obtain  redress  for  physical  injuries 
sustained  during  the  drive  is  probably  due  to  the 
fact  that  every  one  who  has  survived  the  ordeal 
must  be  BO  thankful  that  he  has  escaped  with  his 
life  as  to  have  no  disposition  to  foster  vindictive 
feelings  against  his  fellows.  It  is  a  standing 
miracle  that  the  driver  sticks  to  his  post.  Judging 
from  the  one  who  drove  the  coach  when  I  was  among 
the  passengers,  I  should  say  that  the  risks  run 
and  the  jolting  undergone  had  a  souring  effect  on 
the  temper,  and  a  saddening  influence  on  the  mind. 
A  more  surly,  ill-conditioned,  and  taciturn  driver  I 
never  met  before.  The  chief  point  in  his  favour 
was  his  determination  to  keep  his  cattle  going  at 
full  speed.  When  we  halted  to  change  horses,  and 
were  detained  a  few  minutes  beyond  the  allotted 
time,  he  told  the  outside  passengers  to  hold  on 
firmly,  as  he  meant  '  to  go  ahead  like  greased 
lightning.'  As  the  road  before  us  looked  even 
worse  than  that  behind,  this  intimation  seemed 
equivalent  to  a  threat  of  extra  sufferings  about  to 


THE  CITY  OF  THE  SAINTS,  101 

be  inflicted.  On  the  other  hand,  the  warning  was 
accepted  with  gratitude.  It  was  better  to  have 
one's  misery  shortened  in  time,  even  if  intensified 
in  degree,  than  to  have  it  protracted  as  well  as 
extreme.  To  this  hour,  I  am  amazed  that  the 
wheels  and  the  framework  of  the  coach  remained 
unbroken  and  unstrained. 

The  trials  by  the  way  did  not  hinder  my  ad 
miring  the  surrounding  scenery.  The  road  runs 
along  the  mountain  valley  which  stretches  from  the 
outlet  of  Weber  Canyon  to  the  "Wahsatch  Moun 
tains,  southward  of  Salt  Lake  City.  The  ground 
on  the  right  is  a  continuation  of  the  great  valley, 
and  in  the  distance  the  vast  Lake  glitters  under 
the  rays  of  the  bright  sunlight.  Around  our  path 
to  right  and  left  were  hundreds  of  stunted  shrubs, 
among  which  dwarf  oaks  had  the  leading  place. 
Among  the  scanty  herbage  were  numerous  ant 
hills,  rising  to  the  height  of  at  least  three  feet  and 
having  the  ground  at  their  base  carefully  cleared 
for  several  inches.  On  the  mountain  slopes  were 
masses  of  a  dwarf  maple.  As  the  maple  leaves 
were  brilliant  with  the  autumnal  tints,  the  appear 
ance  of  the  variegated  mass  was  at  once  picturesque 
and  charming.  Several  farms  are  visible  from  the 
road,  and  the  fields  give  distinct  token  of  careful 
cultivation.  Everywhere  is  to  be  seen  evidence 


102  WESTWARD  BY  EAIL. 

that  tbc  people  of  these  parts  are  hard-working  and 
energetic.  The  first  meal  eaten  within  sight  of 
Salt  Lake  was  got  at  a  little  roadside  station. 
This  erection  is  of  a  rude  and  temporary  character, 
being  one  half  wooden  hut  and  one  half  canvas 
tent.  More  noticeable  than  the  dwelling  in  which 
we  sat,  and  the  food  set  before  us,  was  the  multi 
tude  of  house-flies  which  seemed  to  have  taken 
possession  of  every  spot.  The  tablecloth  was  black 
with  them.  They  swarmed  over  every  dish  as  soon 
as  the  cover  was  removed,  nor  did  they  confine 
their  attentions  to  meat,  or  milk,  or  sugar.  They 
justified  Mr.  Kuskin's  remark  that  house-flics  are 
black  incarnations  of  caprice,  by  settling  upon  and 
seeming  to  enjoy  pickles  as  much  as  a  lump  of 
sugar,  or  the  fresh  face  of  a  stranger.  Never  before 
could  I  realise  the  terror  which  must  have  over 
spread  the  land  of  Egypt  Avhen  the  plague  of  flies 
was  sent  to  soften  the  hard  heart  of  Pharaoh.  It 
added  to  the  discomfort  of  the  moment  to  learn  that 
the  visitation  was  not  exceptional,  that  the  flies 
were  quite  as  numerous  and  tormenting  in  the  city 
to  which  I  was  hastening.  After  the  lapse  of  about 
five  hours  and  when  the  heat,  and  dust,  and  flics, 
and  jolting  had  maddened  and  exhausted  the  pas 
sengers,  a  sudden  turning  in  the  road  brought 
relief  to  every  mind,  for  in  the  distance  could  be 


TI1E  CITY  OF  THE  SAINTS.  103 

seen  the  gardens  and  dwellings  of  the  capital  of 
Mormondom.  The  aspect  of  the  city  from  this 
point  is  that  of  a  large  country  village.  No  build 
ing,  except  the  Tabernacle,  stands  forth  to  give  an 
air  of  importance  to  the  cluster  of  houses,  and  the 
Tabernacle,  when  viewed  from  afar,  cannot  be 
called  imposing.  In  appearance  it  resembles  a 
gigantic  dish  cover.  Besides,  the  number  of  houses 
is  not  large  enough  to  adequately  fill  up  the  fore 
ground  of  the  extensive  landscape.  The  valley  in 
which  the  city  lies  is  on  a  huge  scale,  and  the 
range  of  snowy  peaks  in  the  background  rivets  the 
eye  more  forcibly  than  the  handful  of  white  houses 
embosomed  in  trees.  On  nearer  approach  the  first 
impression  is  deepened.  The  width  and  length  of 
the  streets  are  disproportioned  to  the  buildings 
which  line  their  sides.  In  Main-street  are  some 
handsome  structures,  but  these  are  the  rare  ex 
ceptions. 

The  thought  now  predominating  over  all  others 
is  one  of  thankfulness  that  the  moment  of  release 
from  the  torments  of  the  stage  coach  is  at  hand. 
Seldom  has  a  hotel  seemed  so  truly  a  place  of  re 
fuge  as  did  the  (  Townsend  House,'  in  which  my 
travelling  acquaintances  and  myself  found  accom 
modation.  This  is  a  Mormon  hotel,  the  landlord 
rejoicing,  or  the  reverse,  in  the  possession  of  three 


104  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

wives.  It  lias  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the 
best  houses  in  the  city,  but  this  reputation  is  based 
less  on  its  intrinsic  merits  than  on  the  circumstance 
that  it  is  kept  by  a  Mormon,  and  that,  conse 
quently,  it  affords  the  inquisitive  stranger  an  op 
portunity  of  learning  something  as  to  the  practical 
working  of  the  peculiar  institution  in  which  Mor 
mons  glory.  Without  enlarging  on  a  topic  to  which 
I  have  already  referred,  a  topic,  too,  of  which  the 
interest  is  happily  local,  let  me  here  simply  mention 
that  if  any  reader  has  an  enemy  whom  he  would 
like  to  torture  in  the  most  refined  yet  cruel  way, 
he  can  attain  his  object  by  persuading  him  to  go  to 
the  Townsend  House  in  the  autumn.  The  flies 
will  worry  him  to  death  in  the  course  of  a  few 
weeks.  They  render  the  enjoyment  of  a  meal 
wholly  impossible.  Every  dish  is  seasoned  with 
dead  flies ;  the  hands,  heads,  and  faces  of  the  visi 
tors  are  covered  over  with  living  ones.  The  land 
lord  is  the  gainer,  for  many  persons  prefer  to  leave 
the  table  long  before  their  appetites  are  stayed, 
rather  than  sit  through  a  meal  to  be  the  sport  and 
the  victims  of  the  flies.  The  flies  do  for  the  tra 
veller  what  the  physician  did  for  Sancho  Panza. 

The  plan  of  Salt  Lake   City  is  that  on  which 
nearly  every  American  city  is  built.     There  is  a 


THE  CITY  OF  THE  SAINTS.  iOo 

main  street,  with  which  others  run  parallel,  and 
from  which  side  streets  branch  off  at  right  angles. 
The  majority  of  the  shops  and  stores  are  in  the 
principal  street.  On  many  of  the  stores  is  a  sign 
board,  with  the  following  inscription.  At  the  top 
are  the  words, (  Holiness  to  the  Lord,'  underneath 
is  painted  the  All-seeing  Eye,  and  then  follows 
the  announcement,  s  Zion's  Co-operative  Mercantile 
Institution.'  These  stores  were  opened  several 
months  ago  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  the  business 
of  the  place  exclusively  in  the  hands  of  the  Saints. 
The  device  is  one  of  the  many  expedients  of  Brig- 
ham  Young  for  retaining  his  hold  over  the  Mor 
mons,  and  for  driving  away  the  Gentiles.  Among 
the  latter  are  included  the  Jews,  of  whom  several 
are  engaged  in  business  here  and  who  are  num 
bered  among  the  Gentiles,  while  the  Saints  are 
classed  with  the  sinners.  At  the  northern  end  of 
this  street  are  the  Tabernacle,  the  Tithing-office, 
the  Endowment  House  and  the  residence  of  Pre 
sident  Young.  Within  the  enclosure  of  the  present 
Tabernacle  are  the  foundations  of  the  structure 
destined  to  be  the  Tabernacle  of  the  future.  The 
stone  employed  is  a  beautiful  grey  granite,  and 
every  part  has  been  planned  with  a  view  to  solidity. 
But  the  progress  is  very  slow,  and  no  one  professes 
to  expect  that  the  building  will  be  speedily,  if  ever, 


106  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

finished.  The  existing  Tabernacle  is  an  oblong  or 
egg-shaped  structure,  devoid  of  ornament,  and 
wholly  destitute  of  beauty  either  in  proportion  or 
outline.  It  is  said  to  have  accommodation  for 
8,000  persons.  This  is  an  exaggeration.  A  friend 
who  carefully  estimated  the  available  space  assured 
me  that  there  is  not  room  for  more  than  5,000 
sitters.  At  the  one  end  is  a  very  large  organ,  now 
in  course  of  construction ;  on  a  raised  platform  at 
that  end  are  benches  for  the  elders  and  rulers  of  the 
Church,  the  President  and  his  twelve  apostles 
having  places  in  the  centre.  In  front  of  their  pew 
are  barrels  containing  water.  After  the  water  has 
been  blessed,  it  is  handed  about  in  tin  cans  to  every 
person  in  the  congregation.  A  sip  of  this  water 
and  a  morsel  of  bread  constitutes  the  ceremony  of 
taking  the  sacrament  according  to  Mormon  rites. 
Alongside  of  the  Tabernacle  is  a  small  structure 
similar  in  shape  and  arrangement,  wherein  service 
is  generally  held.  The  Tithing-office  and  the 
house,  or  rather  houses,  of  Brigham  Young,  are  in 
no  respect  remarkable.  Indeed,  very  little  can  be 
seen  of  them,  as  they  are  surrounded  and  shut  in 
by  a  high  wall.  The  official  room  of  the  President 
is  small  and  simply  furnished.  On  the  walls  within 
the  entrance  are  portraits  in  oil  of  the  twelve 
Apostles.  As  likenesses  they  may  be  good ;  as 


THE  CITY  OF  THE  SAINTS.  107 

works  of  art  they  are  hideous.  In  appearance,  the 
President  of  the  Saints  is  not  prepossessing.  He  is 
above  the  middle  height,  is  portly  in  person,  has  a 
large  head,  and  a  visage  which  betokens  the  man  of 
firmness  rather  than  of  intellect.  His  large  mouth, 
heavy  lower  features,  and  sensual  expression  pro 
claim  in  unmistakable  signs  his  fondness  for  a 
ritual  which,  by  consecrating  polygamy,  gives  free 
scope  for  indulging  in  every  whim  and  freak  of 
passion.  He  has  the  look  of  a  determined  man, 
and  the  character  of  being  an  obstinate  one.  Ac 
cording  to  the  saying-  of  an  admirer, '  all  hell  could 
not  turn  him/  once  he  had  made  up  his  mind. 
About  the  secrets  of  his  harem  I  have  nothing  to 
reveal.  Many  of  his  children  and  some  of  his  wives 
I  have  seen,  but  I  am  unable  to  say  how  many  of 
both  he  claims  as  his  own.  Nor  do  I  believe 
all  the  tales  about  Brigham  Young  and  his  harem 
which  have  been  published  for  the  edification  of 
English  readers.  Even  if  accurate  particulars  could 
be  obtained,  it  does  not  follow  that  they  should  be 
communicated  to  the  public.  What  passes  in  the 
privacy  of  the  domestic  circle  should  never  be  dis 
closed  for  the  gratification  of  vulgar  curiosity ;  and 
this  rule,  which  has  the  sanction  of  public  opinion 
when  a  man  has  one  wife  and  a  few  children, 

should  be  as  uniformly  observed  and  as  rigorously 
6 


108  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

enforced  when  the  man's  wives  are  many  and  his 
children  numberless.  To  pander  to  a  morbid  love 
for  scandal  is  nearly  as  unpardonable  as  are  the 
worst  practices  of  the  most  heartless  polygamist. 

Next  in  importance  to  the  Tabernacle,  if  it  be 
not  an  adjunct  to  it,  is  the  theatre.  This  is  a  stone  , 
building  which  would  do  credit  to  many  cities  of 
greater  importance.  It  will  hold  at  least  1,500 
spectators.  Were  it  lit  up  with  gas,  the  house 
would  present  a  striking  spectacle  on  a  crowded 
night.  But  as  the  lighting  is  accomplished  by 
means  of  petroleum  lamps,  it  has  a  gloomy  appear 
ance.  This  may  be  remedied  hereafter,  as  there  is 
a  project  to  establish  gas-works  here.  The  pit  is 
divided  into  family  boxes,  or  rather  benches,  in 
which  a  Mormon  may  surround  himself  with  his 
wives  and  children.  Whether  the  arrangement  be 
intentional  or  accidental  I  know  not,  but  the  cus 
tom  seems  to  prevail  for  one  or  two  out  of  the 
several  wives  who  accompanied  most  of  the  men 
to  wear  e  poke  bonnets,'  resembling  those  which 
Quaker  ladies  wore  in  former  days.  The  wearers 
of  those  bonnets  are  either  elderly,  or  else  ill- 
favoured  in  features.  The  younger  and  comelier 
wives  have  fashionable  hats  on  their  heads.  It  is 
worthy  of  note  that  female  beauty  which  is  the 
rule  throughout  the  United  States  is  the  exception 


THE  CITY  OF  THE  SAINTS.  109 

in  Salt  Lake  City.  Some  of  the  girls  have  charm 
ing  faces,  but  the  wives  of  the  Saints  are  not  over 
burdened  with  good  looks.  In  a  long  box  at  one 
side  of  the  theatre  were  seated  many  girls  of  dif 
ferent  ages,  and  they  were  said  to  be  the  Presi 
dent's  daughters.  Brigham  Young  himself  occupied 
a  stage  box,  his  last  wife  keeping  him  company. 
The  others  could  look  up  from  the  pit  and  envy 
their  preferred  rival.  About  the  performance  I 
witnessed,  I  shall  say  but  little.  The  occasion  was 
a  special  one,  it  being  a  f  Grand  complimentary 
benefit  tendered  by  the  citizens  of  Salt  Lake  to  the 
Great  Tragedian  Neil  Warner.'  This  actor  was  de 
scribed  in  the  advertisements  as  a  '  great  English 
tragedian.'  In  what  part  of  England  he  acquired 
his  fame  I  am  ignorant,  yet  I  must  admit  that  his 
physical  power  was  extraordinary.  He  roared  and 
gesticulated  through  the  part  of  Sir  Giles  Over 
reach  with  a  robust  vigour  and  fire  altogether  ex 
ceptional,  and  he  performed  a  death  scene  in  a 
manner  which  perfectly  exemplified  the  difficulty  of 
dying  naturally  upon  the  stage.  When  recalled 
after  the  fall  of  the  curtain,  he  apologised  for  not 
making  a  lengthened  speech,  on  the  ground  that  no 
man  could  be  expected  to  have  much  breath  or  any 
voice  left  after  exertions  like  those  through  which 
he  had  gone.  None  of  the  regular  members  of  the 


110  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

company,  some  of  whom  acted  in  a  way  that  was 
truly  praiseworthy,  were  summoned  before  the  cur 
tain.  Although  the  audience  testified  by  loud  and 
prolonged  applause  their  admiration  for  the  strength 
of  Mr.  Warner's  lungs  and  for  the  vehemence  of 
his  gestures,  yet  I  overheard  remarks  made  by 
individuals  which  were  not  wholly  complimentary 
to  him,  and  these  remarks  led  me  to  think  that  a 
few  Mormons  are  judges  of  good  acting.  The 
newspaper  critics  were  as  greatly  pleased  with  the 
performance  as  modern  dramatic  critics  arc  with 
theatrical  performances  of  a  sensational  type.  In 
the  Salt  Lake  Daily  Telegraph  of  the  following 
morning  it  was  said  that  Neil  Warner  fis  the 
greatest  actor  we  have  ever  seen  and  a  splendid 
career  awaits  him.'  The  Deserct  Evening  News 
wrote  that  the  delineation  of  the  part  of  Sir  Giles 
Overreach  'was  a  perfect  triumph,  and  we  think 
could  not  possibly  be  excelled.'  It  seems  clear, 
then,  that  Salt  Lake  City  is  a  blissful  abode  for 
English  actors  with  powerful  lungs  and  boundless 
pretensions. 

When  the  moon  does  not  shine,  the  streets  of 
Salt  Lake  City  are  wrapt  in  darkness,  street  lamps 
being  unknown  luxuries  there.  It  is  the  boast  of 
the  Mormons  that,  in  the  streets  of  their  capital, 
the  scandalous  sights  of  other  cities  are  never  wit- 


TIIE  CITY  OF  THE  SAINTS.  Ill 

nessecl ;  that  drunken  Mormons  never  stagger  along 
the  pavement,  and  that  the  female  harpies,  of  whom 
drunkards  are  the  natural  victims,  are  unknown 
curses.  There  are  four  bars  at  which  liquor  is 
sold,  and  of  these  the  Gentiles  are  said  to  be  the 
patrons.  Temperance  is  enjoined  by  President 
Young,  and  he  has  the  credit  of  practising  what  he 
preaches.  He  can  do  this  the  more  easily,  if  report 
speak  truly.  Avarice  and  lust  are  the  vices  which 
master  him  to  the  exclusion  of  all  others.  It  is  not 
surprising,  then,  if  he  has  no  love  for  strong  drinks. 
But  I  cannot  give  his  followers  credit  for  being  as 
abstemious  as  himself.  Not  all  of  them  are  over 
mastered  by  avarice  and  lust.  Neither  is  it  credible 
that  all  the  persons  daily  fined  for  drunkenness,  are 
ostracised  and  calumniated  Gentiles.  It  is  not 
strange  that,  apart  from  other  considerations,  in  a 
city  destitute  of  lamps,  nocturnal  vice  should  not 
flaunt  in  the  streets.  Put  out  the  lights  in  the 
Haymarket  or  in  Broadway,  and  the  leprosy  of 
great  cities  would  be  concealed,  though  not  extir 
pated.  On  the  other  hand,  the  darkness  which 
prevails  in  Salt  Lake  City  by  night  furnishes  a 
convenient  cloak  for  the  enforcement  of  what  the 
Mormon  leaders  eulogise  as  righteous  retribution 
and  the  horrified  Gentiles  denounce  as  brutal 
murder. 


112  WESTWARD  BY  KAIL. 

I  neither  accept  without  reservation  all  the  harsh 
things  said  by  the  Mormons  and  the  Gentiles  re 
specting  each  other,  nor  do  I  doubt  that  there  may 
be  some  foundation  for  their  mutual  dislike  and 
recrimination.  The  eagerness  of  the  Mormons  to 
extort  praise  from  the  visitors  to  their  Zion  is  very 
noteworthy.  They  are  ready  to  trumpet  forth 
their  own  merits,  and  to  charge  all  alleged,  or  de 
monstrated  shortcomings  upon  the  Gentiles.  The 
Gentiles,  in  turn,  do  not  hesitate  to  sing  their  own 
praises.  Which  of  the  two  is  in  the  right  consti 
tutes  the  problem  that  has  been  the  subject  of  warm 
controversy,  and  of  which  the  desired  solution  has 
not  yet  been  discovered. 


VIII. 

THE  MORMONS  AT  HOME. 

THE  MORMONS  have  been  highly  praised  for  their 
industry  and  skill  in  converting  the  desolate  Salt 
Lake  Valley  into  a  region  of  fruit  trees  and  corn 
fields.  This  praise  is  subject  to  qualification.  It 
is  true  that  they  have  planted  trees  and  sown  grain 
where  rank  herbage  seemed  the  natural  product  of 
the  soil ;  that  their  peaches  and  apples  are  well  fla 
voured  ;  that  their  corn  is  excellent  in  quality.  But 
it  is  likewise  true  that  the  soil  and  climate  of  Salt 
Lake  Valley  combine  to  render  gardening  and  farm 
ing  easy  and  profitable  occupations.  Irrigation  is 
the  one  thing  needful,  and  to  irrigate  the  thirsty  land 
is  here  the  merest  child's  play.  The  country  is  inter 
sected  with  streams  of  fresh  water  descending  from 
their  sources  among  the  mountains  to  fill  the  lakes  in 
the  lower  ground.  On  the  borders  of  these  streams 
a  vegetation  far  more  luxuriant  than  that  of  the 
parched  plains  indicates  the  course  to  be  adopted  by 
him  who  would  till  the  soil  in  the  hope  of  reaping  a 
harvest.  Of  these  hints  the  first  settlers  took  full 


114  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

advantage,  and  the  result  is  seen  to-day  in  the 
acacias  which  line  the  streets  of  the  city,  and  the 
orchards  which  surround  the  houses.  No  miracle  has 
been  wrought  here.  They  only  will  marvel  at  the 
spectacle  who  are  unaware  of  the  simplicity  of  the 
process.  Yet  there  is  a  valid  excuse  for  the  ex 
aggerated  eulogiums  which  certain  visitors  to  Salt 
Lake  have  passed  upon  Mormon  intelligence,  fore 
sight,  and  perseverance.  Before  the  railway  made 
the  journey  comparatively  easy,  the  visitor  who 
crossed  the  plains  underwent  so  many  hardships  and 
passed  through  a  country  so  sterile  in  appearance 
that,  on  reaching  Salt  Lake  City,  he  overrated  the 
achievements  of  the  Saints,  because  he  argued  that 
the  country  with  which  they  had  to  deal  resembled 
in  reality,  as  well  as  in  look,  that  through  which  he 
had  toiled.  Hence  it  was,  that  when  the  Saints 
bound  for  their  terrestrial  Zion  arrived  at  Emi 
grant's  Gap,  from  which  they  saw  the  neat  houses  of 
their  brethren  in  the  faith  on  the  slope  at  their  feet, 
and  beheld  the  Great  Lake  towards  which  hundreds 
of  streams  meandered  through  the  pleasant  fields, 
they  were  so  overcome  with  the  unwonted  sight  as 
to  fall  on  their  knees  in  an  ecstacy  of  admiration 
and  shed  tears  of  joy.  I  have  not  heard  of  one 
among  the  thousands  who  have  arrived  here  since 
the  opening  of  the  Pacific  Railway,  and  who  have 


THE  MOEMONS  AT  HOME.  115 

entered  the  city  by  the  road  which  I  have  described, 
manifesting  a  particle  of  the  like  enthusiasm.  The 
first  impression  made  by  any  city  depends  altogether 
on  the  point  of  view.  Now  that  Salt  Lake  City 
can  be  seen  under  a  new  aspect,  it  is  less  fasci 
nating  in  appearance,  and  is  far  less  remarkable  as 
an  example  of  a  great  work  accomplished  under 
difficulties,  than  when  it  was  the  haven  of  the  dispi 
rited  emigrant  and  wearied  traveller.  Thousands 
who  never  heard  of  Joseph  Smith,  and  who  would 
scout  the  pretensions  of  Brigham  Young,  have  over 
come  quite  as  many  obstacles,  and  performed  as 
great  feats  of  courage  and  endurance  when  founding 
and  erecting  cities  in  the  Western  States  and  Terri 
tories  of  the  American  Union,  as  the  enthusiasts  who 
have  made  for  themselves  homes  in  this  splendid 
and  fruitful  Valley.  The  history  and  progress  of 
Chicago  and  San  Francisco  approach  the  miraculous 
far  more  closely  than  the  building  of  Salt  Lake 
City. 

It  has  suited  the  purposes  of  the  Mormon  leaders 
to  make  the  most  of  the  persecution  to  which  they 
have  been  subjected,  and  of  the  triumphs  they  have 
achieved.  By  magnifying  their  work  they  have  in 
stilled  into  the  minds  of  their  ignorant  followers  a 
confidence  in  their  power  to  vanquish  any  dangers 
which  may  again  menace  the  Church  of  the  Latter 


11(3  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

t)ay  Saints,  or  bode  ruin  to  the  social  organization 
of  which  Brigham  Young  is  the  founder  and  the 
head.  In  this  respect,  the  writings  of  some  travellers 
have  been  of  great  service  to  them.  Taking  the 
people  at  their  own  valuation,  these  writers  have 
contributed  to  increase  the  confidence  of  the  people 
in  their  own  resources.  The  extent  to  which  they 
are  self-deluded  is  almost  incredible.  Speaking  to 
more  than  one  Mormon  as  to  what  would  happen 
were  the  United  States  Governmem  to  put  down 
polygamy  with  a  strong  hand,  I  always  received  the 
reply  that  if  the  contingency  occurred  the  Mormon 
army  would  fight  to  the  death  in  support  of  the 
cornerstone  of  the  Mormon  faith.  Pressing  the 
question  home,  and  asking  what  a  few  thousands 
could  possibly  do  against  the  force  which  would  be 
arrayed  on  the  other  side,  I  was  assured,  with  a  con 
fidence  of  tone  and  manner  which  denoted  implicit 
belief  in  the  assertion,  that  the  Lord  would  indu 
bitably  arise  to  the  help  of  his  servants  in  their  hout 
of  need,  just  as  he  had  done  in  former  days  when 
their  very  existence  as  a  community  was  in  extreme 
jeopardy.  It  will  facilitate  the  understanding  of 
what  I  am  convinced  is  the  true  state  of  the  case 
if  I  indicate  what  I  believe  to  be  the  conclusion 
arrived  at  by  recent  travellers  in  Mormondom,  by 
whom  works  of  undoubted  attraction  have  been 


THE  MORMONS  AT  HOME.  117 

written  for  the  enlightenment  and  amusement  of 
readers  in  the  United  Kingdom  and  the  United 
States. 

The  impression  left  on  the  readers  of  these 
volumes  must  have  been  that  Salt  Lake  City  is  a 
place  which  cannot  well  be  matched  for  beauty  of 
site  and  amenity  of  climate ;  that  it  carries  off  the 
palm  from  all  other  cities  as  the  abode  of  a  united, 
peaceful,  and  prosperous  people  ;  that  the  industry 
of  its  inhabitants  bears  fruit  in  the  material  com 
forts  which  they  enjoy  ;  that  their  devotion  to  their 
spiritual  leaders  amounts  to  a  passion ;  that  their 
belief  in  their,  eccentric  creed  knows  neither  doubt 
nor  shadow  of  turning  ;  that  they  stand  shoulder  to 
shoulder  against  those  who  question  the  veracity  of 
their  Prophet,  and  deny  the  inspiration  of  their 
sacred  books  ;  that,  living  as  they  do,  they  enjoy  an 
amount  of  happiness  greater  than  what  falls  to  the 
share  of  other  dwellers  on  the  earth,  and  that  they 
feel  and  express  a  confidence  in  securing  an  incal 
culable  amount  of  happiness  in  the  world  to  come, 
such  as  few  mortals  cherish,  and  a  still  smaller 
number  venture  to  avow.  At  one  time  all  this 
may  have  been  said  with  a  semblance  of  truth. 
Indeed,  I  have  been  assured  that  had  I  been  here 
a  few  years  sooner,  I  should  have  held  opinions 
similar  to  those  expressed  by  earlier  visitors.  This 


118  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

is  another  way  of  saying  that  the  golden  age  of 
Mormonism  has  passed  away.  Whenever  persons 
begin  to  talk  of  a  happier  past,  they  are  unable  to 
weigh  existing  facts  with  impartiality,  and  to  argue 
questions  of  the  moment  with  perfect  coolness. 
For  my  own  part,  I  am  sceptical  as  to  the  har 
mony  which  is  said  to  have  prevailed  among  the 
Mormons.  1  have  conversed  with  some  who  have 
been  excommunicated,  and  with  some  who  have  left 
the  Church  in  disgust,  as  well  as  with  firm  believers 
and  good  Mormons.  The  doubters  having  proved 
rebellious,  were  summarily  dealt  with.  In  their 
case  rebellion  meant  a  disinclination  to  submit  to 
the  arbitrary  sway  of  Brigham  Young.  The  latter 
is  at  once  despot  and  high  priest.  He  interprets 
the  law  as  written  in  the  Book  of  Mormon,  and  he 
compels  Ihe  acceptance  of  his  interpretation.  To 
Mormons,  freedom  of  thought  or  of  action  is  as 
impossible  as  to  idiots  or  slaves.  Their  whole  duty 
consists  in  thinking  as  they  are  enjoined,  and  doing 
as  they  are  told.  When  the  Mormon  Gospel  is 
preached  in  Europe,  little  is  said  about  dogmas,  and 
much  is  said  about  farms.  The  believers  arrive  at 
Salt  Lake  in  the  hope  that  they  will  soon  attain 
independence  by  the  sweat  of  their  brows.  A  piece 
of  land  is  made  over  to  them  on  conditions  which 
they  deem  light.  The  price  is  to  be  repaid  in 


THE  MORMONS  AT  HOME.  119 

instalments ;  and  one  tenth  of  their  earnings  is  to 
be  handed  ove/  to  the  Church.  Assistance  is  af 
forded  them  to  build  a  house  of  wood  or  of  sun-dried 
brick,  here  called  (  adobe/  and  to  stock  and  culti 
vate  their  land.  For  all  this  they  have  to  pay  in 
money  or  in  kind.  If  things  go  well  with  them, 
they  soon  succeed  in  placing  themselves  in  a  posi 
tion  of  comparative  comfort.  They  can  live  on  the 
produce  of  their  land ;  possibly,  they  may  be  able 
to  take  unto  themselves  several  wives  and  to  main 
tain  a  numerous  lamily  without  apprehending  bank 
ruptcy  or  the  workhouse.  Yet,  despite  all  this, 
they  do  not  grow  rich.  Of  food  they  may  have 
abundance  while  continuing  destitute  of  money. 
Here  it  is  that  the  shoe  pinches.  The  arrange 
ments  of  Brigham  Young  are  admirably  adapted 
for  keeping  the  majority  of  his  followers  obedient  to 
his  will.  So  long  as  they  can  neither  buy  nor  sell, 
but  must  supply  their  wants  through  the  primitive 
agency  of  barter,  it  is  hard  for  them  to  become 
strong  enough  to  challenge  his  claims.  The  pay 
ments  he  makes  are  calculated  in  dollars ;  but  in 
stead  of  paying  his  creditors  in  cash,  he  hands  them 
orders  on  the  Tithing-office,  where  grain,  firewood, 
flour,  or  other  necessaries  of  life,  can  be  had  at  the 
option  of  the  holders.  Some  payments  are  made  in 
Salt  Lake  notes,  which  arc  current  in  the  Territory 


120  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

only.  Men  who  nominally  receive  so  much  a  day 
for  their  labour  have  told  me  that  tli£  very  sight  of 
United  States  money  is  a  rare  one  to  them.  They 
get  wherewith  to  sustain  life,  but  they  cannot  lay 
up  that  store  against  a  rainy  day  which  the  thrifty 
labourer  loves  to  accumulate.  These  persons  are 
virtual  prisoners  in  Utah  Territory.  Without 
money  they  cannot  escape  from  the  house  of 
bondage,  and  of  money  they  are  almost  bereft. 
Now  and  then  one  of  the  dissatisfied  class  does 
that  which  leads  to  his  excommunication  and  the 
practical  confiscation  of  his  property.  As  soon  as 
he  is  cast  out  of  the  Church  or  voluntarily  secedes, 
the  whole  power  of  the  Church  is  exerted  to  crush 
him.  Good  Mormons  are  forbidden  to  give  him 
shelter,  to  associate  with  him,  to  trade  with  him. 
The  great  object  is  to  expel  him  from  Utah. 
Should  this  end  be  attained,  then  the  outcast  is 
obliged  to  begin  life  again,  after  his  hopes  have 
been  blighted,  with  his  labour  expended  in  vain, 
and  his  experience  gained  to  no  good  purpose. 

If  there  be  one  point  on  which  Americans  and 
Englishmen  are  thoroughly  agreed,  and  about  which 
they  are  justly  entitled  to  boast,  it  is  that  their 
homes  are  sanctuaries,  and  their  houses  castles ; 
sanctuaries  into  which  no  stranger  can  enter  un 
bidden  ;  castles  into  which  no  stranger  can  demand 


THE  MORMONS  AT  HOME.  121 

admission.  To  the  true  Mormon,  this  notion  of 
home  is  foreign.  I  do  not  now  allude  to  his  do 
mestic  arrangements,  nor  shall  I  allege  that  happi 
ness  is  wholly  impossible  where  polygamy  is  the 
rule,  or  maintain  that  filial  duty  and  parental  love 
are  virtues  which  never  flourish  where  several 
wives  contend  for  a  husband's  affection,  and  flocks 
of  children  have  claims  on  his  tenderness.  How 
these  matters  are  managed,  and  what  is  the  actual 
result,  a  stranger  may  imagine,  but  cannot  discover. 
As  far  as  he  can  ascertain,  a  Mormon  household  is 
in  no  respect  exceptional ;  the  wives  appear  to  him 
the  same  as  the  ladies  who  preside  over  the  house 
hold  of  a  Gentile,  while  the  children  are  as  great 
torments  or  as  great  pets  as  the  children  whom  he 
has  seen  elsewhere.  The  fallacy  to  which  several 
writers  have  succumbed  consists  in  supposing  that, 
because  nothing  in  such  a  household  grossly  offends 
the  eye  or  shocks  the  senses,  therefore  the  system 
of  polygamy  is  unobjectionable,  and  that  the  Saint 
whose  f  creed  is  singular  and  whose  wives  are 
plural,'  is  a  personage  worthy  of  unstinted  praise. 
As  well  might  the  inference  be  drawn  that,  because 
man  and  wife  usually  say  smooth  things  to  each 
other  in  the  presence  of  third  parties,  and  because 
children  sometimes  conduct  themselves  with  pro 
priety  in  the  presence  of  strangers,  the  former  have 


122  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

no  private  differences  of  opinion,  and  the  latter  are 
never  unruly  and  disobedient.  Frankly  admitting 
the  domestic  affairs  of  the  Mormons  to  be  mysteries 
which  none  but  the  initiated  can  fathom  and  into 
which  strangers  have  no  right  to  pry,  let  me  confine 
myself  to  that  part  of  their  social  arrangements 
with  which  all  the  world  may  become  acquainted, 
and  let  me  repeat  that  a  home,  in  the  English  and 
American  sense  of  the  word,  has  no  existence 
among  the  Saints  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake.  For 
example,  should  a  Bishop  or  other  person  in  autho 
rity  knock  at  the  door  of  a  Mormon  house  in  his 
diocese,  he  must  be  admitted  without  question,  and 
his  orders  must  be  obeyed  without  hesitation,  under 
a  heavy  penalty.  Should  he  think  that  the  floor 
ought  to  be  scrubbed,  or  the  kettle  polished,  or  any 
alteration  made  in  household  arrangements,  he  has 
but  to  give  the  order,  and  the  command  is  obeyed. 
The  despotism  of  Mormonism,  as  taught  by  Brigham 
Young,  is  temporal  as  well  as  spiritual.  Nothing 
is  left  to  the  free  will  of  the  people.  Everything  is 
done  in  obedience  to  a  decree.  The  phrase  (  Thus 
saith  the  Lord '  is  always  uttered  by  the  leaders 
when  they  desire  to  impose  their  decisions  on  their 
credulous  followers.  Marriage  itself  is  not  always 
an  affair  of  choice  and  inclination.  If  it  be  thought 
expedient  that  a  man  should  add  to  the  number  of 


THE  MORMONS  AT  HOME.  123 

his  wives,  he  is  advised  to  take  another,  and  advice 
of  this  kind  cannot  be  disregarded  with  impunity. 
President  Young  tolerates  no  differences  of  opinion 
between  himself  and  his  flock.  He  has  been  elected 
by  them,  and  he  considers  it  his  prerogative  to 
govern  them  with  a  rod  of  iron.  Universal  suf 
frage,  exercised  by  the  ignorant,  has  placed  him 
where  he  is,  and  he  interprets  universal  suffrage,  as 
others  have  done  in  Europe,  to  mean  the  preroga 
tive  to  act  without  scruple  in  pursuance  of  his  per 
sonal  ends. 

With  the  Mormons,  Sunday  is  emphatically  a  day 
of  rest.  Every  shop  is  closed.  The  Tabernacle  is 
filled  with  worshippers.  There  is  a  morning  and 
an  afternoon  service,  and  in  the  evening  each  ward 
has  its  meeting,  over  which  the  ward  Bishop  pre 
sides.  The  service  begins  with  a  hymn,  sung  by 
the  choir  with  an  organ  accompaniment.  In  the 
singing  the  congregation  does  not  join.  The  ma 
jority  turn  in  their  seats  and  stare  at  the  singers. 
A  prayer  is  then  offered  up.  The  prayers  which  I 
heard  consisted  of  the  invocation  of  blessings  upon 
the  Mormons,  their  rulers,  their  homes,  their  fields, 
and  their  families.  A  special  blessing  was  invoked 
on  behalf  of  Brigham  Young  and  other  Mormons 
in  authority.  Not  a  word  was  said  on  behalf  of 
the  Government  and  the  President  of  the  United 


124  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

States.  I  heard  two  sermons,  both  of  which  were 
harangues  about  things  in  general ;  the  only  special 
doctrines  enunciated  and  enforced  by  repetition,  not 
by  argument,  being  that  the  Mormons  were  God's 
chosen  people,  and  that  Polygamy  wras  a  divine 
institution.  Mormonism  lias  now  entirely  resolved 
itself  into  preaching  that  polygamy  is  the  one  thing 
required  in  these  latter  days  to  regenerate  and 
sanctify  a  world  steeped  in  wickedness.  If  the 
Mormons  are  in  the  right,  then  none  but  the 
followers  of  Mahomet  and  Brigham  Young  deserve 
the  title  of  civilized  beings,  and  enjoy  the  privilege 
of  counting  upon  entering  and  reigning  in  Heaven. 
It  must  be  allowed  that  their  religion  is  a  bold 
attempt  to  make  the  best  of  both  worlds. 

On  the  same  day  that  I  heard  religion  preached 
according  to  Brigham  Young,  I  also  heard  an  ex 
position  of  the  doctrines  of  pure  Mormonism  as 
revealed  to  Joseph  Smith,  proclaimed  by  him  to 
the  people,  and  now  upheld  and  inculcated  by  his 
sons.  David  and  Alexander  Smith  are  here  on  a 
mission  to  rescue  the  Mormons  of  Salt  Lake  City 
from  the  hands  of  President  Young.  They  stated 
openly  in  a  crowded  hall  that  the  doctrines  of  the 
latter  are  'foul,  false,  and  corrupt.'  They  de 
nounced  him  as  an  impostor;  they  charged  him 
with  usurpation.  No  Gentile  has  ever  uttered  more 


THE  MORMONS  AT  IIOME.  125 

stinging  phrases  against  the  chosen  leader  of  the 
Saints  than  were  given  vent  to  in  the  course  of  an 
hour  by  these  two  men.  -Moreover,  they  cited 
authentic  documents  in  support  of  their  statements. 
They  proved,  from  the  accepted  Mormon  books 
that  polygamy,  instead  of  being  enjoined  as  a  duty, 
was  formally  condemned  as  a  crime.  While  Joseph 
Smith  was  yet  alive  certificates  to  that  effect  were 
signed  by  men  and  women  of  influence  in  the 
Church.  Some  of  these  men  and  women  are  now 
among  Brigham  Young's  staunchest  adherents. 
Judging  from  remarks  openly  made  by  some  of  the 
Mormons  present,  it  appeared  that  these  facts  were 
alike  new  and  puzzling  to  them.  They  were  evi 
dently  at  a  loss  what  to  think  and  whom  to  trust. 

In  a  conversation  which  I  had  with  one  of  Joseph 
Smith's  sons,  the  following  was  the  explanation 
furnished  of  the  apparent  contradiction.  Nothing 
in  the  Mormon  Scriptures  can  be  interpreted  as 
sanctioning  polygamy.  The  assertion  that  Joseph 
Smith  had  more  wives  than  one  is  a  calumny  pro 
pagated  by  those  who  wish  to  have  a  religious 
sanction  for  the  gratification  of  their  lusts.  Emma 
Smith,  who  was  the  Prophet's  wife,  stoutly  denies 
that  she  ever  had  any  rival  in  her  husband's  love. 
In  opposition  t6  this,  Brigham  Young  offers  to 
prove  that  the  murdered  Prophet  had  several  wives. 


126  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

Furthermore,  he  cites  a  revelation  made  to  Joseph 
Smith  on  celestial  marriage,  which  certainly  charac 
terises  a  plurality  of  wives  as  the  great  privilege  of 
the  Saints.  But,  then,  dense  obscurity  surrounds 
the  transmission  of  this  important  document.  Joseph 
Smith  may  have  received  it  from  Heaven ;  but  how 
did  Brigham  Young  get  it  from  Joseph  Smith  ?  It  is 
said  that  the  paper  on  which  the  Prophet  inscribed 
the  revelation  was  snatched  from  him  and  burnt, 
but  that  Brigham  Young  was  so  fortunate  as  to 
have  procured  a  transcript  of  it  prior  to  its  destruc 
tion.  Be  it  noted  that  President  Young  makes  no 
formal  pretensions  to  the  office  of  prophet.  He  is 
too  much  occupied  with  other  matters,  to  have  any 
leisure  for  prophesying.  Besides,  some  experiments 
he  once  made  as  a  prophet  proved  very  disastrous. 
He  has  benefited  by  the  lesson.  What  he  now 
preaches  is  preached  on  the  authority  of  Joseph 
Smith.  The  responsibility  is  thus  shifted  on  to  the 
shoulders  of  the  deceased.  It  is  obvious  that  the 
living  priest  has  a  great  advantage  over  the  dead 
prophet ;  because,  while  the  latter  printed  his  doc 
trines,  the  former  claims  to  have  been  the  recipient 
of  other  doctrines  to  be  spread  abroad  at  a  con 
venient  season.  Several  years  after  the  Prophet's 
murder,  Brigham  Young  thought  that  the  con 
venient  season  had  arrived  for  proclaiming  polygamy 


THE  MORMONS  AT  HOME.  127 

a  dogma  of  the  Church  of  the  Latter  Day  Saints. 
Accordingly,  in  1852  he  told  the  people  that  he 
had  in  his  custody  a  revelation  sanctioning  plural 
marriage.  The  statement  was  accepted  with  satis 
faction,  and  from  that  date  uncompromising  Mor 
mons  have  regarded  polygamy  as  the  basis  of  their 
creed  and  the  best  part  of  their  system. 

I  anticipate  the  query:  'How  can  liberty  of 
speech  be  pronounced  impossible  throughout  the 
Territory  of  Utah  when  two  sons  of  Joseph  Smith 
are  thus  permitted  to  beard  President  Young  in  his 
stronghold,  to  repudiate  his  doctrines,  to  denounce 
his  conduct?'  The  answer  I  return  is  that  which  I 
have  received  from  more  Mormons  than  one.  By 
Brigham  Young,  the  sons  of  Joseph  Smith  are 
intensely  hated.  He  would  rejoice  if  they  could  be 
removed  out  of  his  path.  He  has  refused  to  allow 
them  to  officiate  in  the  Tabernacle,  while  according 
this  privilege  to  the  preachers  of  every  other  reli 
gious  denomination.  Indeed,  one  of  the  brothers 
told  me  that  on  the  very  Sunday  when  the  pulpit 
of  the  Tabernacle  was  formally  closed  against  both 
of  them,  it  was  occupied  by  a  Methodist  minister  to 
whom  free  scope  was  accorded  as  an  expounder  of 
the  Christian  Gospel.  Others,  far  less  obnoxious 
than  these  two  men,  have  disappeared  in  a  mys 
terious  way,  or  have  been  found  shot  to  death  by 


128  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

bullets,  or  beaten  to  death  by  clubs.  Mormons  arc 
pointed  out  to  whose  charge  these  murders  have 
been  publicly  laid,  but  no  one  has  ever  been 
brought  to  justice,  nor  is  it  believed  that  the  cul 
prits  will  ever  receive  the  punishment  they  deserve 
so  long  as  crimes  committed  at  the  instigation  of 
Mormon  leaders,  and  in  furtherance  of  the  Mormon 
cause,  are  regarded  as  highly  meritorious.  But 
the  Destroying  Angels  dare  not  serve  David  and 
Alexander  Smith  as  they  served  Dr.  Robinson. 
As  the  sons  of  their  revered  Prophet,  the  people 
look  upon  them  with  respect,  and  listen  to  them 
with  attention.  That  these  men  should  go  about 
unmolested,  and  preach  undisturbed,  is  the  only 
proof  I  have  discovered  of  the  existence  of  a  public 
opinion  in  Utah.  This  discovery  would  have  been 
far  more  welcome  and  valuable  had  the  manifesta 
tion  of  opinion  given  token  of  a  latent  love  of  fair 
play  and  free  speech,  instead  of  proving  the  exist 
ence  of  an  undercurrent  of  superstition  in  the  un 
cultured  and  fanatical  Mormon  mind. 


IX. 

MORMON  MISSIONS  AND  MISSIONARIES. 
» 
IN  FEW  American   cities   are   the  nationalities  of 

England  and  Wales  so  largely  represented  as  in 
the  city  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake.  The  English 
visitor  who  makes  the  acquaintance  of  Mormon 
bankers,  merchants,  journalists,  and  hotel-keepers 
is  surprised  to  find  them  well  versed  in  the  do 
mestic  affairs  of  the  Old  Country,  and  he  learns 
with  increased  surprise  that  by  birth  they  are  his 
countrymen.  Nor  are  his  countrywomen  less  nu 
merous,  if  far  less  fortunate.  When  questions  are 
asked  about  the  wives  of  distinguished  and  poly 
gamous  Saints,  one  of  the  answers  is  that  most 
of  them  are  Englishwomen.  Of  other  European 
nationalities  there  are  several  representatives, 
those  from  Denmark  and  Norway  being  in  the 
majority.  Out  of  the  150,000  citizens  of  Utah 
Territory  at  least  three-fourths  have  emigrated 
from  Europe.  As  many  as  4,000  European  Latter 
Day  Saints  are  said  to  cross  the  Atlantic  yearly 
in  order  to  cast  in  their  lot  with  their  brethren 


130  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains.  In  no  country  has 
the  success  of  the  Mormon  missionaries  been  so 
great  as  in  England,  because  in  no  other  country 
has  the  like  liberty  of  action  been  accorded  to 
them.  Elsewhere,  they  have  fared  badly  on  ac 
count  of  the  obstacles  put  in  their  way  by  intole 
rant  mobs,  or  despotic  Governments.  The  record 
of  their  missionary  enterprise  is  a  chequered  story 
of  struggle  and  failure. 

Regarded  as  a  whole,  the  labours  of  the  Mor 
mons  to  win  proselytes  supply  the  strongest  proofs 
which  can  be  desired  of  their  indomitable  energy 
and  steadfast  endurance.  No  sooner  had  the  Church 
of  the  Latter  Day  Saints  been  established  in  the 
United  States  than  missionaries  were  despatched  to 
make  converts  to  the  new  religion.  England  was 
the  earliest  field  wherein  Mormon  missionaries  la 
boured,  and  is  the  one  in  which  they  have  reaped 
the  richest  harvests.  In  1837,  no  less  than  eight 
Mormon  Elders  went  forth  to  preach  to  the  English 
people.  They  began  at  Preston,  in  Lancashire. 
Before  many  months  had  elapsed,  they  had  dissemi 
nated  their  views  throughout  the  United  Kingdom, 
the  result  being  that  1,500  persons  were  baptized 
into  the  community  of  the  Saints.  Three  years 
afterwards,  others,  of  whom  Brigham  Young  was 
one,  took  part  in  advancing  the  mission  on  English 


MOKMON  MISSIONS  AND  MISSIONARIES.       131 

soil.  They  preached  for  upwards  of  a  year  and 
founded  branches  of  the  Mormon  Church  in  all 
the  more  important  cities  from  London  to  Edin 
burgh  ;  they  set  up  a  printing  press ;  they  esta 
blished  an  emigration  agency;  they  published  the 
Book  of  Mormon,  the  Book  of  Doctrines  and  Cove*- 
nants ;  they  issued  60,000  pamphlets  and  the  first 
volume  of  the  Millenial  Star. 

The  next  experiment  of  a  like  kind  was  an 
attempt  to  bring  the  Children  of  Israel  within  the 
fold  of  the  Church  of  the  Saints.  With  a  view  to 
eifect  this,  a  mission  was  despatched  to  Jerusalem, 
but  it  had  to  be  abandoned  in  despair.  The  Isles 
of  the  Pacific  were  next  selected  as  the  theatre  of 
a  missionary  crusade.  Upwards  of  1,200  natives  of 
the  Society  Islands  were  baptized  in  1843  and  the 
prospects  were  hopeful,  till  the  French  assumed  the 
Protectorate  over  these  Islands.  In  1851,  not  only 
were  the  •  Mormon  Elders  expelled  and  forbidden 
to  return,  but  the  French  also  ( compelled  the 
native  converts  to  discontinue  their  worship.'  The 
Sandwich  Islanders  are  said  to  have  been  as  trac 
table  converts  and  firmer  adherents ;  yet,  as  no 
statistics  are  given,  the  actual  results  in  their  case 
must  be  left  to  conjecture.  Among  the  French, 
the  work  of  conversion  received  a  check  from  the 
police.  The  Elder  who  went  to  Paris  in  1849 


132  "WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

complained  that  his  hands  were  tied  owing  to  the 
stringency  of  the  laws.  Eventually,  the  Prefect 
of  Police  forbade  the  preaching  of  the  Mormon 
gospel.  Nor  was  Germany  a  land  in  which  the 
Elders  received  a  welcome.  One  of  them  was 
*  expelled  by  the  authorities  of  the  Free  City  of 
Hamburg.'  In  Prussia,  the  missionaries  fared  very 
badly.  Two  of  them,  who  arrived  at  Berlin  in  1853, 
s  found  that  it  was  impossible  to  preach  or  publish 
the  truth  of  the  Latter  Day  Work  in  consequence 
of  religious  intoleration.  These  Elders  wrote  to 
the  King's  Minister  of  Public  Worship  for  per 
mission  to  preach,  but  were  immediately  summoned 
before  the  police  court  and  catechised  as  to  the 
object  of  their  mission.  They  were  ordered  to  leave 
the  kingdom  next  morning,  under  penalty  of  trans 
portation.'  The  opposition  in  Austria  was  equally 
bitter.  After  spending  some  months  in  learning 
the  German  tongue  Elders  Pratt  and  Hitter  had 
to  relinquish  their  undertaking  and  leave  Vienna, 
because  they  found  themselves  unable,  '  in  conse 
quence  of  religious  intolerance,'  e  to  open  the  door 
for  the  proclamation  of  the  Gospel '  in  Austria. 
In  Denmark,  a  missionary  was  more  fortunate ;  but 
one  who  '  proceeded  to  Sweden,  and  endeavoured 
to  introduce  the  work  there '  ( was  summarily 
banished.'  The  Swiss  looked  askance  at  Mor- 


MORMON  MISSIONS  AND  MISSIONARIES.       133 

monism.  The  Elders  were  non-plussed  by  a  twofold 
hindrance  to  their  progress  in  Switzerland.  e  Some 
of  the  cantons  would  not  allow  publishing,  but 
allowed  preaching*;  others  prohibited  preaching, 
but  would  allow  publishing,  and  some  would  no 
allow  either.'  Only  one  attempt  was  made  to 
convert  the  inhabitants  of  South  America  from  the 
errors  of  their  accustomed  ways  to  the  errors  of 
the  Mormon  creed.  Two  Elders  went  to  Chili  in 
1851,  f  where  they  remained  several  months,  not 
having  the  opportunity  of  even  teaching  in  private, 
except  in  violation  of  the  most  rigid  laws.'  Being 
obliged  to  return  to  California,  one  of  them  re 
mained  there  for  some  time  and,  with  a  result  which, 
as  it  is  unrecorded,  cannot  have  been  wholly  satis 
factory,  (  continued  to  preach  and  teach  until  he 
returned  to  Utah.'  The  Chinese  were  appealed  to 
in  April,  1853.  The  Mormon  missionaries  to 
China  did  not  get  farther  than  Hong  Kong.  They 
decided  that,  as  a  civil  war  was  raging,  it  would 
be  unwise  to  undertake  a  journey  into  the  interior. 
Moreover,  the  Chinese  with  whom  they  conversed 
did  not  appear  to  be  a  promising  people  on  whom 
to  expend  their  energies.  e  The  inhabitants  told 
them  that  they  had  not  time  to  "  talka "  religion. 
The  way  soon  opened  for  them  to  return  to  San 
Francisco,  which  they  did  in  August.' 


134  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

Very  interesting  and  not  a  little  instructive  is 
the  tale  of  the  attempts  made  in  the  colonies  and 
dependencies  of  Great  Britain  to  gather  in  converts 
to  the  Mormon  fold.  In  South  Australia,  New 
South  Wales,  Tasmania  and  New  Zealand  the 
success  seems  to  have  been  most  complete.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  missionaries  met  with  palpable  re 
buffs  in  Hindostan,  Ceylon,  South  Africa,  and  the 
West  Indies.  They  went  up  the  Ganges,  visited 
Simla,  laboured  in  Bombay  and  the  adjacent  coun 
try,  but  without  effect.  The  zeal  they  displayed 
failed  to  produce  the  expected  impression.  Their 
explanation  runs  thus :  *  Finding  the  Hindostanees 
destitute  of  honesty  and  integrity,  insomuch  that 
when  converted  and  baptized  they  would  for  a  few 
pice  join  any  other  religion,  and  finding  the  Euro 
peans  so  aristocratic  that  they  were  hardly  ap 
proachable,  they  left  the  country,  after  having 
travelled  to  all  the  principal  stations  of  India, 
where  frequently  they  were  ordered  out  of  canton 
ments  and  had  to  sleep  in  the  open  air,  exposed  to 
that  sickly  climate,  to  poisonous  reptiles  and  to 
wild  beasts.'  In  Ceylon  they  suffered  severely  not 
only  through  the  unwillingness  of  the  people  to 
hearken  to  them,  but  also  because  the  people  and 
the  priests  refused  to  open  their  doors,  or  give  them 
food,  unless  they  were  well  paid.  At  Cape  Town, 


MOKM02J  MISSIONS  AND  MISSIONARIES.        135 

rioters  broke  up  their  meetings,  but  in  the  country 
districts  f  they  obtained  a  foothold  and  commenced 
to  baptize.'  What  they  endured  in  Jamaica  cannot 
be  better  told  than  in  their  own  words :  '  They 
called  upon  the  American  Consul,  Mr.  Harrison, 
who  advised  them  to  hire  a  hall  and  announce 
public  preaching,  as  the  laws  extended  toleration  to 
all  sects,  which  they  accordingly  did;  but  a  mob 
numbering  one  hundred  and  fifty  persons,  gathered 
around  the  building  and  threatened  to  tear  it  down 
were  these  Polygamists,  as  they  termed  the  Elders, 
permitted  to  preach  therein.  Unless  the  Elders 
could  give  security  for  the  price  of  the  hall  the 
landlord  objected  to  their  holding  meeting.  The 
Elders  informed  him  that  they  were  not  there  to 
enforce  their  principles  upon  the  people — to  quell 
mobs,  nor  to  protect  property,  but  to  preach  the 
Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  to  those  who  were  willing  to 
hear.  The  Elders  got  away  from  the  Island  safely, 
though  while  they  remained  they  had  to  run  the 
gauntlet,  and  two  of  them  were  shot  at  by  a  negro.' 
Two  missionaries  to  British  Guiana  were  quite  as 
hardly  dealt  with,  for  they  were  refused  passages 
by  the  shipping  agents  and  had  to  return  to  the 
United  States  without  even  setting  foot  on  the 
shore  which  they  desired  to  reach.  The  authorities 
at  Gibraltar  treated  the  Elders  as  if  they  were 


136  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

persons  of  bad  character,  and  summoned  them  to 
appear  in  the  police  court  as  soon  as  they  landed  on 
the  Hock.  Elder  Stevenson  who  had  been  born 
there  maintained  his  right  to  remain ;  Elder  Porter, 
however,  was  ordered  to  leave.  The  Governor  pro 
hibited  Elder  Stevenson  from  preaching  Mormon- 
ism.  '  He,  however,  remained  over  a  year  and 
baptized  several  amidst  threats,  prohibitions  and 
constant  opposition.  He  also  endeavoured  to  open 
up  the  work  in  Spain,  but  was  not  permitted  by 
the  authorities.'  In  no  British  possession  does  the 
success  of  the  missionaries  seem  to  have  been 
greater  than  in  Malta.  What  the  Mormons  say 
about  their  doings  in  that  Island  has  a  special  in 
terest  for  English  readers.  As  the  official  account 
is  not  long,  I  shall  give  it  unabridged: — ( In  1853, 
Elder  James  F.  Bell  was  sent  from  England  to 
Malta,  where  several  were  baptized.  Upon  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Crimean  war,  the  interest  in 
the  work  was  broken  off,  still  a  few  of  the  soldiers 
in  the  British  regiments  that  landed  there  obeyed 
the  Gospel.  There  originated  from  this  mission 
three  branches  of  the  Church,  viz. :  one  in  Flori- 
anna,  Malta;  a  second,  called  the  "floating  branch," 
in  the  Mediterranean,  which  consisted  of  sailors 
belonging  to  her  British  Majesty's  ships  the  Belle- 
rophojtj  Trafalgar,  Vengeance  and  Britannia ;  a 


MORMON  MISSIONS  AND  MISSIONARIES.       137 

third,  the  expeditionary  force  branch,  in  the  Crimea; 
the  latter  consisted  of  brethren  belonging  to  the 
30th,  41st,  93rd  and  95th  British  regiments.  A 
few  of  the  members  of  these  branches  lost  their 
lives  in  the  Crimean  war.'  * 

The  great  success  of  the  Mormon  missionaries  in 
England  and  Wales  is  partly  due  to  the  fact  that 
the  people  to  whom  they  appealed  were  for  the  most 
part  grossly  illiterate  or  fanatical.  While  the  success 
they  have  had  is  not  a  matter  for  national  congra 
tulation,  yet  the  toleration  which  was  afforded  to 
them,  standing  out  as  it  does  in  contrast  to  the  in 
tolerance  and  inhumanity  of  which  the  missionaries 
were  the  victims  in  nearly  every  other  land,  is  an 
honour  to  this  sea-girt  home  of  free  thought  and 
free  speech.  The  Elders  enjoyed  fair  play  in  Eng 
land.  The  result  has  been  that  their  zeal  prevailed, 
and  converts  were  multiplied.  If  the  consequence 
is  distasteful,  the  fault  lies  on  the  shoulders  of  those 
who  have  neglected  the  paramount  duty  of  edu 
cating  the  people.  Owing  to  the  large  number  ot 
converts  who  have  gone  from  England  and  Wales 

*  These  details  explaining  the  missions  of  Mormondom  have  not, 
as  far  as  I  know,  been  previoiisly  published  in  England.  They  have 
the  merit  of  being  authentic  as  well  as  novel.  I  have  compiled  the 
account  from  that  contained  in  a  pamphlet  published  in  July  1869 
at  Salt  Lake  City.  Its  author  is  President  George  A.  Smith,  the 
Official  Historian  of  the  Church. 


138  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

to  their  earthly  Zion  beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
Salt  Lake  City  bears  a  close  resemblance  to  an 
English  settlement  in  America.     Those  who  have 
been  instrumental  in  gathering  together  this  multi 
tude  of  English  men  and  women  are  all  native-born 
Americans.     New  England  is  the  mother  of  Joseph 
Smith:    President   Brigham  Young   is   a  genuine 
Yankee ;   both  being  natives  of  the  State  of  Ver 
mont.    The  ablest  and  most  trusted  colleagues  of  the 
President  are  his  fellow-countrymen.     Indeed,  not 
the  least  extraordinary  among  the  mysteries  of  the 
Mormons  is  the  circumstance  that,  while  the  native- 
born  Americans  are  in  the  minority,  and  the  people 
elect  their  leaders,  the  men  certain  to  be  elected, 
and   as  certain   of  re-election,  are   nearly  always 
Americans  by  birth.     "While  several  of  the  Mor 
mons  are  emphatically  strangers  and  foreigners  in 
this  land  of  freedom,  yet  it  is  indisputable  that  in 
its  inception  and  its  growth,  its  organisation  and 
its  energy,  Mormonism  is  thoroughly  and  entirely 
American.     If  the  very  existence  of  Mormonism  be 
a  cause  of  grief  to  England,  its  wider  spread  and 
increasing  strength  imperil  principles  dear  to  every 
patriotic  citizen  of  the  United  States.     In  its  pre 
sent  form  it  is  a  despotism.     Brigham  Young  is  the 
embodiment  of  that '  one  man  power'  which  Ameri 
cans  view  with  the  deepest  aversion  and  consider 


MORMON  MISSIONS  AND  MISSIONARIES.       139 

as  utterly  antagonistic  to  the  principles  of  genuine 
Republicanism.  Yet  a  fear  of  persecuting  men  for 
what  they  allege  to  be  their  religion  makes  many 
hesitate  and  hang  back  who  would  otherwise  be 
swift  to  act.  On  the  other  hand,  it  must  be  diffi 
cult  for  American  statesmen  to  sit  unmoved  at  the 
spectacle  of  the  laws  made  by  Congress  openly 
violated,  wilfully  derided,  and  treated  as  utterly 
impotent  within  the  Territory  of  Utah.  As  a  subtle 
and  triumphant  conspiracy  against  the  harmony  of 
the  Union  and  the  supremacy  of  Congress,  Mor- 
monism  is  an  evil  too  momentous  to  be  regarded 
with  indifference  or  neglected  altogether. 


140  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 


X. 

MOItMONISM  ON  ITS  TRIAL 

Two  attempts,  differing  in  character  and  aim,  have 
been  made  to  control  and  temper  the  intolerance  of 
dominant  Mormonism.  Seven  years  ago  the  United 
States  Government  established  a  military  post 
within  a  few  miles  of  the  city,  and  in  a  position 
well  suited  as  a  base  for  offensive  operations.  It 
was  hoped  that  the  presence  of  soldiers  at  Camp 
Douglas  would  tend  to  inspire  confidence  among 
the  dissatisfied  and  timid  inhabitants  of  the  Valley, 
while  acting  as  a  check  upon  the  conduct  of  the 
Mormon  leaders.  These  expectations  have  not  been 
fulfilled.  The  leaders  themselves  make  merry  over 
the  policy  of  the  Government.  They  say  that  the 
camp  does  no  harm  to  them,  but  that,  on  the  con 
trary,  they  make  money  by  supplying  the  troops 
with  stores  on  most  remunerative  terms.  The  other 
attempt  was  made  about  three  years  ago  by  a  mis 
sionary  society  connected  with  the  Episcopal  Church 
in  America.  A  mission  was  established  in  Salt 
Lake  City.  The  missionaries  were  deputed  to  labour 
among  both  the  Gentiles  and  Mormons  resident  there. 


MOEMONISM  ON  ITS  TEIAL.  141 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Foote,  who  was  charged  with  mis 
sionary  duty,  has  worked  with  great  vigour  and  in 
the  teeth  of  great  odds,  to  disseminate  the  tidings 
of  the  gospel  of  peace  among  a  people  prone  to 
manifest  hatred  towards  all  who  think  differently 
from  themselves,  and  who  regard  with  unfeigned 
aversion  all  efforts  made  to  substitute  the  tender 
ness  of  Jesus  for  the  terrors  of  Jehovah.  Not  a 
few  Mormons  have  voluntarily  joined  the  Episcopal 
Church.  As  a  rule,  ^however,  those  persons  who 
can  no  longer  believe  in  the  revelation  proclaimed 
by  Joseph  Smith,  or  submit  to  the  tyranny  of 
Brigham  Young,  cease  to  entertain  any  religious 
belief  whatever  and  relapse  into  unreasoning  in 
fidelity.  In  addition  to  holding  the  regular  services 
of  his  church,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Foote  has  established 
a  school  for  the  education  of  the  children  growing 
up  without  any  care  being  taken  for  their  instruc 
tion.  When  this  school  was  opened,  two  years  and 
a  half  ago,  the  number  of  pupils  was  sixteen. 
When  I  visited  it  the  number  on  the  roll  was  one 
hundred  and  thirty.  Of  these  children  a  small 
proportion  has  been  sent  by  Mormons  who  have 
the  rare  courage  to  think  and  act  for  themselves. 
But  this  is  done  in  opposition  to  the  commands  of 
the  Mormon  chiefs.  They  threaten  the  parents 
with  the  pains  and  penalties  which  the  Church  has 


142  WESTWARD  BY  BAIL. 

in  store  for  the  chastisement  of  her  disobedient 
members.  As  may  be  supposed,  they  are  very 
anxious  to  let  the  Rev.  Mr.  Foote  feel  the  weight 
of  their  displeasure  for  coming  amongst  them  and 
converting  their  followers.  Nothing  is  more  re 
markable  about  Mormonism  than  the  wrath  of  its 
professors  against  those  who  induce  Mormons 
seriously  to  reconsider  their  opinions.  While  nearly 
every  Mormon  is  a  pervert  from  some  other  religion, 
and  while  the  Saints  number  among  their  trials  the 
hindrances  put  in  the  way  of  their  proselytising, 
they  are  bigoted  opponents  of  any  attempts  to 
preach  another  religion  to  their  own  people.  It  is 
true  that  the  pulpit  of  the  Tabernacle  is  professedly 
thrown  open  to  the  clergymen  of  all  sects.  Several 
have  availed  themselves  of  the  opportunity  to 
address  the  congregation,  and  give  their  version 
of  the  Scriptures.  But  the  result  has  been  the 
reverse  of  edifying  and  satisfactory.  I  heard 
Mormons  relate  with  great  glee  how  a  clergyman 
of  the  Church  of  England  had  accepted  Brigham 
Young's  invitation  to  preach,  had  appeared  in  his 
surplice  and  Oxford  hood,  and  how,  at  the  succeed 
ing  service,  the  President  having  taken  a  white 
table  cover,  placed  it  over  his  shoulders,  and  bur 
lesqued  the  clergyman  amid  the  hearty  laughter  of 
his  flock.  As  the  head  of  the  Mormon  Church 


MOKMONISM  ON  ITS  TEIAL.  143 

always  has  the  last  word,  the  advantage  gained  by 
preaching  to  his  congregation  is  not  on  the  side 
of  the  recognised  opponents  of  Mormonism.  The 
liberty  of  preaching  in  the  Tabernacle  means  simply 
license  to  become  a  laughing-stock. 

Neither  the  presence  of  soldiers  at  Camp  Douglas, 
nor  the  pastoral  efforts  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Foote,  can 
be  considered  adequate  to  counteract  the  disregard 
of  law  and  the  denial  of  justice  to  which  the  Saints 
are  addicted.  As  general  statements  seldom  convey 
a  clear  impression  of  the  nature  of  abuses,  let  me 
cite  two  cases  in  support  of  my  allegations.  One 
of  these  is  the  case  of  Dr.  Robinson.  He  had 
become  the  proprietor  of  a  piece  of  land,  a  mile  to 
the  north  of  the  city,  on  which  were  hot  sulphur 
springs.  These  springs  were  reputed  to  be  of  great 
medicinal  value.  It  was  thought  that  their  curative 
powers  would  attract  invalids,  and  that  whoever 
had  the  control  over  them  would  grow  rich.  De 
siring  to  occupy  this  position,  the  city  authorities 
laid  claim  to  them,  on  the  ground  that  the  land  in 
question  was  within  the  city's  boundary.  Dr. 
Robinson  resisted  this  demand.  Appeal  was  made 
.  to  the  law  courts,  and  the  decision  was  favourable 
to  Dr.  Robinson.  He  was  warned  that  persistence 
on  his  part  would  prove  dangerous ;  but  these  hints 
did  not  intimidate  him.  One  night  after  he  had 


144  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

gone  to  bed  a  knock  summoned  him  to  his  door, 
where  he  was  addressed  by  two  or  three  men,  who 
begged  him  to  come  to  the  help  of  a  man  who  had 
fallen  and  broken  his  leg.  He  went  forth,  taking 
a  revolver  with  him,  as  was  his  wont.  A  few  hours 
afterwards  he  was  found  lying  a  few  yards  from  his 
own  house  covered  with  wounds,  and  with  a  large 
gash  on  his  head  caused  by  the  blow  of  a  blunted 
weapon.  The  attack  had  been  sudden  and  unex 
pected,  for  his  loaded  revolver  was  in  his  pocket. 
The  object  of  the  assassins  was  not  plunder,  for  his 
valuables  were  untouched.  A  Gentile  who  helped 
to  remove  the  dead  body  from  the  place  where  it 
was  found  to  the  house  of  the  deceased,  told  me 
that  Mormons  who  recognised  the  features  refused 
to  lend  any  assistance.  They  knew  that  the  mur 
dered  man  was  highly  obnoxious  to  the  Church 
Authorities  and  they  seemed  to  look  upon  his  death 
by  violence  as  the  natural  consequence  of  his  con 
duct.  A  large  reward  was  offered  for  the  appre 
hension  of  the  murderers.  They  are  still  at  large. 
It  is  the  general  belief  that  the  suspected  murderers 
are  living  in  Salt  Lake  City,  and  that  they  would 
be  brought  to  justice  if  there  were  a  tribunal  before 
which  they  could  be  indicted  with  the  certainty  of 
the  law  being  enforced.  As  it  is,  a  Mormon  jury 
never  convicts  a  Mormon  who  had  sinned  in  the 


MORMONISM  ON  ITS  TRIAL.  145 

interests  of  his  Church.  But,  if  slow  to  punish  a 
Mormon,  the  courts  of  Utah  are  ready  to  punish  an 
erring  Gentile.  A  .soldier  who  had  become  entitled 
to  his  discharge  when  at  Camp  Douglac,  and  had  a 
right  to  the  piece  of  land  promised  by  the  Govern 
ment  of  the  United  States  to  those  who  had  served 
their  country  during  the  war,  elected  to  settle  at 
Salt  Lake,  and  received  from  the  United  States 
authorities  the  land  which  he  had  earned.  Not 
long  after  taking  possession  and  building  himself  a 
small  dwelling,  the  city  authorities  began  to  survey 
his  land  preparatory  to  selling  it  in  small  lots, 
alleging  that  the  whole  of  it  was  city  property. 
The  discharged  soldier  threatened  to  assert  his 
rights  and  to  punish  intruders.  No  heed  was  paid 
to  his  protests.  Unfortunately  for  himself,  he  broke 
a  law  of  the  Territory  forbidding  the  sale  of  spirits 
without  a  licence.  For  this  offence  he  was  imme 
diately  prosecuted.  There  being  no  doubt  as  to 
his  guilt,  the  amount  of  fine  to  be  inflicted  was  the 
only  matter  for  consideration.  It  had  been  cus 
tomary  in  similar  cases  to  fine  the  offenders  twenty- 
five  dollars.  In  his  case  the  penalty  imposed  was 
five  hundred  dollars,  with  the  alternative  of  six 
months'  imprisonment.  As  the  culprit  could  not 
pay  this  crushing  fine,  and  did  not  wish  to  languish 
in  prison,  he  assented  to  an  official  proposal  to 


146  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

suspend  legal  proceedings  on  condition  of  his 
leaving  the  city  within  four  and  twenty  hours. 
Thus  the  authorities  rid  themselves  of  a  man  who 
was  an  obstacle  to  their  projects.  They  sold  his 
land  in  lots  of  five  acres.  Perhaps  the  day  may 
come  when  the  purchasers  of  these  lots  will  find 
that  a  title  from  the  authorities  of  Salt  Lake  City 
is  worthless  in  presence  of  a  prior  and  perfect  title 
from  the  Government  of  the  United  States. 

The  Territory  of  Utah  is  a  scandal  to  America, 
because  the  impartial  administration  of  justice  does 
not  prevail  within  its  limits.  The  Government 
ought  to  tell  the  Mormons — *  Believe  what  you 
please,  retain  whatever  religious  convictions  you 
have  formed,  consider  polygamy  the  cornerstone 
of  your  system,  and  teach  that  doctrine  to  your 
children,  but  do  not  break  and  despise  the  laws  of 
which  you  disapprove.  We  do  not  mean  to  wound 
your  consciences,  or  to  trench  on  matters  of  a 
purely  religious  character,  yet  we  purpose  enforcing 
the  Acts  which  Congress  has  passed  for  the  well- 
being  of  all  American  citizens.'  What  the  answer 
of  the  Mormons  would  be  to  this  simple  enuncia 
tion  of  a  just  policy  can  be  inferred  from  their  own 
writings.  In  the  Salt  Lake  Daily  Telegraph  for 
October  17,  1869,  the  question  is  discussed,  and  a 
reply  is  made  beforehand  to  the  arguments  which 


MORMONISM  ON  ITS  TRIAL.  147 

may  be  used  in  Congress.  The  writer  says  that 
6  The  right  or  wrong,  the  morality  or  immorality 
of  polygamy  is,  in  our  opinion,  no  question  for 
Congress  to  deal  with,  it  cannot  deal  with  it.  The 
only  question  is,  what  are  the  rights  of  a  people 
under  a  Republican  form  of  government?.  Shall 
Columbia  be  the  home  of  the  Turk,  the  Parsee,  the 
Japanese,  the  Chinese,  and  the  inhabitants  of  the 
Eastern  Hemisphere,  as  well  as  those  of  the  North 
ern  Hemisphere  ?  Let  the  citizens  of  the  whole 
world  come  to  this  glorious  land,  and  let  them 
worship  whom  they  choose,  and  how  they  may. 
Let  their  faith  be  undisturbed — they  are  account 
able  only  to  their  Maker,  and  not  to  man.1  It  is 
possible  that  the  Mormons  themselves  would  object 
to  the  logical  application  of  these  principles.  It 
any  Thugs,  escaping  from  the  exterminating  hand 
of  Colonel  Sleeman,  had  emigrated  from  their 
Indian  jungles  to  the  Utah  valleys,  there  to  fit 
themselves  for  Heaven  by  strangling  defenceless 
travellers,  the  deeds  of  violence  committed  by  them 
would  hardly  be  pardoned  by  the  Mormon  leaders 
even  if  justified  on  the  ground  that  their  religious 
creed  enjoined  the  commission  of  murder  in  order 
to  win  Heaven.  Nor  is  it  necessary,  even  for  the 
sake  of  argument,  to  conjure  up  the  shadows  of  a 
bloodthirsty  tribe  which  was  once  the  scourge  and 


148  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

terror  of  Hindostan.  The  Mormons  have  at  their 
own  doors  examples  of  the  crimes  men  may  commit 
in  the  name  of  religion.  The  Savage  who  supposes 
that  he  will  be  a  '  big  Indian  '  in  the  happy  hunting 
ground  beyond  the  grave,  if  he  only  succeed  in 
stealing  many  horses  and  collecting  many  scalps, 
acts  on  the  supposition  that  religion  consists  in 
being  a  wholesale  thief  and  murderer.  He  is  half 
a  Mormon  in  one  respect.  To  increase  the  number 
of  his  wives  is,  in  his  eyes,  a  bounden  duty.  But 
there  is  no  subterfuge  about  his  inclinations  in  this 
matter.  What  he  does  is  performed  for  reasons 
which  are  at  least  straightforward  and  intelligible. 
He  honestly  avows  that  in  adding  squaw  to  squaw 
he  is  indulging  his  inordinate  lust  and  at  the  same 
time  multiplying  the  number  of  his  docile  servants. 
He  never  pretends  that  religious  zeal  is  a  defence 
of  plural  matrimony.  The  Saints  who  uphold 
polygamy  on  religious  grounds,  would  act  wisely  in 
imitating  the  candour  and  consistency  of  the  wild 
Indians.  The  Mormons  are  selfish,  as  well  as  very 
illogical.  They  will  not  extend  to  others  the  privi 
leges  which  they  claim  for  themselves.  They  assert 
the  right  to  worship  God  after  their  own  fashion, 
yet  do  their  best  to  exclude  from  Utah  all  who 
reject  the  Book  of  Mormon.  They  demand  to  be 
let  alone  just  as  the  Southern  slaveholders  did. 


MOKMONISM  ON  ITS  TRIAL.  149 

Their  treatment  of  a  Gentile,  who  prefers  the  same 
request  to  them,  resembles  the  treatment  accorded 
to  the  Abolitionist  who  formerly  upheld  the  right 
of  free  speech  at  the  South.  What  the  Mormons 
desire  at  present  is  the  admission  of  Utah  into  the 
Union.  They  have  several  times  petitioned  Con 
gress  to  that  effect,  but  in  vain.  If  raised  to  the 
dignity  of  a  State,  Utah  would  be  more  than 
ever  under  the  domination  of  the  Mormon  leaders. 
So  long  as  it  continues  a  Territory,  Congress  is 
entitled  to  legislate  for  it,  and  many  desire  that 
this  power  should  be  exercised.  It  is  within  the 
jurisdiction  of  Congress  to  alter  the  boundaries 
of  Territories  and  to  create  new  ones.  Thus  the 
present  State  of  Nevada  was  carved  out  of  the 
Territory  of  Utah  in  1861.  In  like  manner,  the 
Territory  of  Colorado  comprises  a  portion  of  what 
once  belonged  to  Utah.  This  process  of  division 
and  subdivision  might  be  continued  with  advantage 
until  Utah  were  absorbed  altogether.  As  citizens 
of  a  new  Territory  or  of  an  adjacent  State,  the 
Mormons  would  be  unable  to  overpower  the  Gen 
tile  majority  arrayed  against  their  illegal  practices 
and  disloyal  acts.  If  treated  in  this  manner  Brig- 
ham  Young  would  be  more  effectually  checkmated 
than  if  brought  face  to  face  with  the  overwhelming 
military  organization  of  the  United  States. 


1,50  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

It  is  commonly  supposed  that  the  opening  of  the 
Pacific  Railway  or  the  death  of  Brigham  Young 
will  speedily  lead  to  the  annihilation  of  Mormonism. 
The  visitor  to  Salt  Lake  City,  who  makes  the 
necessary  inquiries,  must  pronounce  these  expecta 
tions  to  have  a  very  unsubstantial  basis.  By  the 
Mormons  themselves,  the  railway  is  not  regarded 
with  dread.  It  may  be  that,  as  the  New  York 
Herald  has  pithily  remarked,  '  Railroad  communi 
cations  corrupt  good  Mormons ; '  but  this  has  yet 
to  be  demonstrated.  According  to  Brigham  Young 
the  facilities  for  intercommunication  by  rail  are 
certain  to  prove  advantageous  to  the  Church.  He 
has  informed  his  flock  that  he  encouraged  the  con 
struction  of  the  Pacific  Railway  in  order  that  the 
Gentiles  might  be  the  more  easily  converted.  That 
he  spoke  seriously  when  he  said  this  cannot  readily 
be  credited.  Yet  it  is  worthy  of  note,  that  in 
1852  the  Legislature  of  Utah  sent  a  memorial  to 
Congress,  signed  by  Brigham  Young  as  Governor, 
praying  that  a  railway  might  be  constructed  across 
the  Continent,  and  assigning  many  very  forcible 
reasons  in  support  of  the  proposal.  In  the  number 
of  the  SaU  Lake  Daily  Telegraph,  from  which  I 
have  already  quoted,  it  is  said : — *  The  opening  up 
of  this  mountainous  country,  by  the  Pacific  Rail 
road  running  through  it,  was  expected  to  bring  in  a 


MORMONISM  ON  ITS  TEIAL.  151 

great  multitude  of  strangers,  and  by  their  settling 
down  in  the  country  and  mixing  with  the  Mormons, 
it  was  presumed  that  the  question  of  polygamy 
would  be  quietly  disposed  of  by  the  force  of  Chris 
tian  example  and  the  election  ballot  box.  Since 
the  opening  of  the  railroad  there  has  been  a  large 
influx  of  visitors  to  the  city;  but  we  have  not 
heard  of  a  single  Gentile  family  that  has  come  to 
reside  among  us,  and,  from  the  general  current  of 
information  that  reaches  us,  we  think  the  opposite 
is  the  disposition.  Some  who  have  resided  here 
have  left  the  Territory,  and  more  are  preparing  to 
leave  as  early  as  they  can  dispose  of  their  business 
and  property.'  The  writer  of  the  foregoing  lines 
is  quite  correct  in  saying  that  there  is  no  proba 
bility  of  Gentiles  occupying  the  Mormon  Territory 
to  the  exclusion  of  the  Saints.  The  arrangements 
for  rendering  this  impossible  are  too  complete  to  be 
upset  by  the  railway  or  any  similar  agency.  That 
a  sudden  change  will  follow  the  decease  of  Brigham 
Young  is  doubtful.  "When  Cromwell  died,  the  im 
mediate  dissolution  of  the  Commonwealth  which  had 
been  expected  as  a  thing  of  course  was  delayed  for 
some  months.  The  chances  are  in  favour  of  the 
place  of  President  Young  being  occupied  by  a  suc 
cessor  quite  as  skilful,  unscrupulous,  and  powerful  as 
himself.  He  is  the  leading  spirit  of  to-day,  but  his 


152  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

counsellors  are  men  not  inferior  to  him  in  boldness 
and  executive  ability.  More  than  one  of  them 
could  at  any  moment  step  forward  and  fill  the  post 
he  might  vacate.  The  hold  which  these  men  have 
over  their  followers  is  the  true  source  of  their 
supremacy.  The  ignorance  of  these  followers  can 
not  be  paralleled  save  in  the  cases  of  the  French 
peasantry.  Their  fanaticism  is  proportioned  to 
their  ignorance.  To  wait  till  they  are  neither 
ignorant  nor  fanatic  is  as  foolish  as  was  the  conduct 
of  the  Roman  rustic  who  waited  for  the  stream  to 
exhaust  itself  by  running. 


XL     • 

BICKERINGS  AMONG  THE  SAINIS. 

DUKING  my  visit  to  Salt  Lake  City  the  Saints 
were  thrown  into  consternation  by  the  announce 
ment  in  the  Tabernacle  that  some  of  the  most 
notable  among  their  number  had  been  suspended 
from  the  enjoyment  of  Church  privileges.  This  is 
the  preliminary  to  excommunication.  One  of  these 
erring  brethren  was  Mr.  Stenhouse,  the  editor  of 
the  Salt  Lake  Daily  Telegraph.  Born  at  Dal- 
keith,  near  Edinburgh,  and  a  convert  from  Presby- 
terianism  to  Mormonism,  he  had  given  strong  proofs 
of  his  devotion  to  the  religion  propounded  by 
Joseph  Smith.  He  was  one  of  the  enthusiasts  who,  on 
foot,  had  made  the  terrible  journey  across  the  plains 
from  the  Missouri  to  Salt  Lake,  drawing  a  hand 
cart  containing  all  his  worldly  possessions.  He  had 
gone  as  a  missionary  to  Switzerland  and  to  England, 
and  gained  many  proselytes.  As  the  husband 
of  three  wives,  he  had  committed  himself  to  the 
version  of  Mormonism  promulgated  and  upheld  by 
Brigham  Young.  He  is  supposed  to  have  offended 


154  WESTWARD  EY  RAIL. 

by  not  being  as  ardent  a  supporter  of  the  Presi 
dent's  temporal  power  as  of  his  spiritual  preten 
sions.  Another  of  the  suspended  brethren  was  Mr. 
Godbe,  a  Londoner  by  birth,  the  proprietor  of  a 
large  f  store '  in  Salt  Lake  City,  and  a  man  of  re 
puted  wealth.  He  had  devoted  a  considerable 
portion  of  his  substance  to  founding  the  Utah 
Magazine.  In  this  publication  the  infallibility  of 
the  President  has  more  than  once  been  disputed  by 
implication,  and  its  conductors  have  even  had  the 
temerity  to  call  in  question  the  wisdom  of  his 
policy.  Mr.  Harrison,  one  of  the  editors  of  the 
magazine,  was  included  among  the  number  of  the 
censured.  Mr.  Stenhouse  submitted  to  the  rebuke, 
and  has  made  his  peace  with  the  Church.  This  can 
be  done  by  making  an  unqualified  admission  of 
error,  recanting  the  condemned  doctrines,  and  pre 
ferring  a  humble  request  for  pardon.  The  Mor 
mons  have  borrowed  some  formulas  from  a  Church 
more  ancient  than  their  own,  and,  like  it,  advancing 
claims  to  collective  infallibility.  Mr.  Godbe  and 
Mr.  Harrison,  remaining  stubborn,  have  been  for 
mally  excommunicated.  As  the  Bull  of  Excommuni 
cation  is  not  a  lengthy  document,  and  as  it  is 
certainly  a  curious  one,  I  shall  quote  it  entire : — 
'To  whom  it  may  concern. —  This  certifies  that 
William  S.  Godbe,  E.  L.  T.  Harrison,  and  Eli  B. 


BICKEEINGS  AMONG  THE  SAINTS.  155 

Kelsey  were  cut  off  from  the  Church  of  Latter 
Day  Saints  on  Monday,  the  25th  day  of  October, 
1869,  for  harbouring  and  spreading  the  spirit  of 
apostacy. — William  Dunford,  Clerk  of  Council.' 

The  following  official  explanation  and  warning 
was  issued  contemporaneously  with  the  decree  of 
excommunication  : — e  To  the  Latter  Day  Saints  : 
Our  attention  has  been  called  of  late  to  several 
articles  which  have  appeared  in  the  Utah  Maga 
zine,  a  weekly  periodical  published  in  this  city. 
An  examination  of  them  has  convinced  us  that  they 
are  erroneous,  opposed  to  the  spirit  of  the  Gospel, 
and  calculated  to  do  injury.  According  to  the 
practice  in  the  Church,  teachers  were  sent  to  labour 
with  the  editor  and  publisher,  to  point  out  to 
them  the  evil  results  that  would  follow  a  persist 
ence  in  the  course  they  were  pursuing.  This  did 
not  have  the  desired  effect,  and  they  have  since 
been  tried  before  the  High  Council,  and  after  a 
thorough  and  patient  investigation  of  the  case,  it 
was  found  that  they  had  imbibed  the  spirit  of 
apostacy  to  that  degree  that  they  could  not  any 
longer  be  fellowshipped,  and  they  were  cut  off  from 
the  Church. 

( The  Utah  Magazine  is  a  periodical  that,  in 
its  spirit  and  teachings,  is  directly  opposed  to  the 
Work  of  God.  Instead  of  building  up  Zion  and 


156  WESTWARD  BY  EAIL. 

uniting  the  people,  its  teachings,  if  carried  out, 
would  destroy  Zion,  divide  the  people  asunder, 
and  drive  the  Holy  Priesthood  from  the  earth. 
Therefore,  we  say  to  our  brethren  and  sisters  in 
every  place,  the  Utah  Magazine  is  not  a  periodi 
cal  suitable  for  circulation  among  or  perusal  by 
them,  and  should  not  be  sustained  by  Latter  Day 
Saints. 

'  We  hope  this  will  be  sufficient,  without  ever 
having  to  refer  to  it  again. 

'  Brigham  Young,  George  A.  Smith,  Daniel  H. 
Wells,  Orson  Pratt,  Wilford  Woodruff,  George 
Q.  Cannon,  Joseph  F.  Smith.' 

I  have  not  yet  said  anything  about  Eli  B. 
Kelsey,  who  is  among  the  excommtwicated.  He 
was  one  of  the  High  Council  by  which  the  heretics 
were  tried  and  sentenced.  When  the  votes  were 
taken  it  was  found  that  he  alone  was  in  the  mino 
rity.  For  having  thus  hindered  the  Council  from 
coming  to  a  unanimous  vote  he  was  summarily 
dealt  with  as  one  who  had  harboured  e  the  spirit  of 
apostacy.'  Such  is  the  Mormon  notion  of  free  dis 
cussion  and  fair  play. 

The  result  has  been  that  the  schismatics  have 
founded  a  new  church  under  the  name  of  the 
Church  of  Zion.  The  leaders  of  the  movement 
allege  that  they  are  directly  inspired  from  above, 


BICKERINGS  AMONG-  THE  SAINTS.  157 

that  they  have  been  incited  to  action  by  commu 
nications  from  departed  spirits.  At  a  public  meet 
ing  called  to  hear  their  programme,  Mr.  Harrison 
averred  that  'Heber  C.  Kimball,  Joseph  Smith 
(whose  identity  was  vouched  for  by  the  angels), 
Peter,  James  and  John,  and  Jesus  himself  had 
come  and  talked  with  them ;  they  did  not  see  the 
faces,  but  they  saw  the  heavenly  light  and  dis 
tinctly  heard  voices,  and  during  a  long  series  of 
those  direct  and  celestial  visitations  they  had  had 
revealed  to  them  not  only  a  grand  system  of  theo 
logy,  which  will  be  developed  in  due  course^  but 
all  the  great  principles  connected  with  this  globe 
from  the  beginning  to  the*  time  when  it  shall  be 
come  celestialized.'  To  the  statements  made  by 
the  founders  of  the  Church  of  Zion  a  short  and 
simple  answer  was  returned  by  the  leaders  of  the 
Church  of  the  Latter  Day  Saints.  In  their 
opinion  the  Devil  had  done  it  all.  The  revelations 
of  which  Messrs.  Harrison  and  Godbe  were  the  re 
cipients  had  proceeded  directly  from  the  Author  of 
Evil.  In  a  sermon  delivered  by  Orson  Pratt  in 
the  Tabernacle,  the  whole  matter  was  discussed  for 
the  edification  of  the  orthodox  and  the  confusion 
of  the  spiritual  rebels.  The  preacher  explained 
that  at  first  the  revelation  made  to  Joseph  Smith 
was  scoffed  at,  and  then  the  Prophet  was  persecuted 


158  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

and  murdered.  But,  the  Saints  still  continuing  to 
increase  in  numbers  and  in  power,  s  the  Devil  found 
that  they  could  not  be  put  down  by  persecution, 
he  took  another  turn  and  said  "  I  will  show  them 
that  the  world  can  have  revelation  enough." '  Thus 
it  was  that  what  are  called  Spiritual  Manifestations 
were  produced.  He  was  the  more  certain  about 
the  complicity  of  Satan  in  the  movement,  because 
some  of  the  revelations  said  to  have  been  made  to 
Messrs.  Harrison  and  Godbe  by  King  Solomon  were 
at  variance  with  statements  in  the  Book  of  Mor 
mon.  Whether  the  Devil  had  or  had  not  any  hand 
in  the  schism  is  a  matter  about  which  the  public 
in  England  and  America  will  doubtless  manifest 
contemptuous  indifference.  Some  may  console  them 
selves  with  the  contemplation  of  the  consequences 
which  are  said  to  ensue  upon  the  falling  out  of 
rogues.  Yet  they  will  all  note  with  satisfaction  the 
confession  made  by  Mr.  Tullidge,  one  of  the  editors 
of  the  Utah  Magazine  and  an  adherent  of  the 
new  sect.  He  states  in  a  printed  document  that 
( our  leaders  have  reduced  the  people  to  an  absolute 
temporal  bondage,  and  the  genius  of  a  prophetic 
and  spiritual  work  has  died  out  of  their  adminis 
tration  '  and  that  ( the  Saints  in  Utah  for  nearly 
twenty  years  have  been  entire  strangers  to  their 
former  spiritual  power.'  As  the  leaders  and  sup- 


BICKERINGS  AMONG-  THE  SAINTS.  159 

porters  of  this  movement  are  polygamists  either  in 
fact  or  theory,  the  limit  of  the  change  for  the 
better,  which  they  are  likely  to  effect,  will  soon 
be  reached.  Most  significant  of  all  is  the  aversion 
manifested  by  them  for  the  temporal  authority  of 
Brigham  Young.  They  have  felt  that  they  must 
either  become  the  bond  slaves  of  the  President,  or 
else  must  assert  their  right  to  individual  action. 
It  may  be  anticipated  that  after  emancipating  them 
selves  from  the  personal  tyranny  under  which  they 
have  groaned,  they  will  not  long  remain  in  sub 
jection  to  the  spiritual  supremacy  of  their  former 
head.  The  '  spirits '  with  whom  they  hold  commu 
nication  may  tell  them  that  f  plural  marriage '  is 
an  invention  of  the  Devil,  and  then  the  real  struggle 
between  the  men  who  think  that  to  advance  is 
imperative  and  those  who  maintain  that  adherence 
to  the  old  formulas  is  a  duty,  will  begin  in  earnest 
and  may  end  in  revolutionizing  Mormonism. 

This  schism  is  the  more  ominous  on  account  of 
the  willingness  displayed  by  its  leaders  to  make 
common  cause  with  the  Gentiles  in  matters  of  a 
secular  kind.  Unfortunately,  the  combined  forces 
make  but  a  poor  display  of  strength.  It  is  clear  that 
Brigham  Young  has  an  overwhelming  majority  at 
his  back,  and  that  the  yearly  additions  to  the  number 
of  the  Saints  contribute  to  swell  his  majority. 


1GO  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

Fanaticism  is  the  mainspring  of  nearly  all  those 
who  leave  Europe  for  Utah.  In  the  eyes  of  these 
persons  Brigham  Young  is  a  model  ruler.  They 
are  unfriendly  to  .smooth  courses  and  conciliatory 
action  and  they  have  natural  affinities  with  those 
who  adopt  a  policy  of  intolerance  and  extermina 
tion.  Having  the  fanatical  and  the  ignorant  obe 
dient  to  his  will  and  feeling  sure  that  the  annual 
immigration  of  4,000  persons  will  add  to  the  ranks 
of  his  followers  more  recruits  than  are  required  to 
fill  up  the  vacancies  made  by  deserters,  Brigham 
Young  has  still  a  warrant  for  regarding  the  new 
schism  with  comparative  equanimity  and  some 
reason  for  believing  that  he  has  not  yet  ceased  to 
be  master  of  the  situation. 


XII. 

UTAH  SCENERY. 

FROM  the  petty  squabbles  of  discordant  and  rabid 
Mormons  it  is  a  relief  to  turn  and  gaze  upon  the 
panorama  of  natural  beauties  which,  from  dawn  to 
sunset,  is  provided  for  the  enjoyment  of  the  dweller 
in  Salt  Lake  City.  Some  of  the  noteworthy 
characteristics  of  the  city  are  by  no  means  unique. 
The  streams  of  sparkling  water  which  flow  through 
the  streets,  the  trees  which  shade  the  pathways 
and  the  ample  gardens  in  which  the  houses  stand 
are  not  more  bright,  abundant,  and  attractive  than 
those  of  the  Pyrenean  town  of  Bagneres  de 
Bigorre.  But  with  this  exception,  comparison  is 
hardly  possible.  The  site  as  a  whole  is  in 
comparable. 

The  elevation  is  4,000  feet  above  the  sea  level. 
If  not  absolutely  rainless,  the  region  is  one  in 
which  the  rainfall  is  scanty.  Hence  the  air  is 
almost  free  from  floating  vapour,  and  the  sky  is 
seldom  obscured  by  masses  of  cloud.  The  extreme 
purity  of  the  atmosphere  renders  the  new-comer 


1G2  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

inexpert  at  calculating  distances.  The  mountain 
slopes,  which  seem  as  if  they  were  but  a  few  yards 
from  the  city,  are  in  reality  several  miles  distant. 
But,  if  this  miscalculation  is  sometimes  disappoint 
ing,  other  effects  due  to  the  same  cause  are  all 
the  more  impressive.  The  outlines  of  the  far-off 
peaks  and  ridges,  declivities  and  clefts  are  dis 
tinctly  visible  in  every  line  of  rugged  contour  or 
soft  undulation. 

Turning  from  the  range  of  snow-crested  moun 
tains  on  the  east  of  the  city,  another  range  is  dis 
cernible  across  the  valley  beyond  the  western  shore 
of  the  Great  Salt  Lake.  The  valley  is  more  than 
forty  miles  broad.  It  is  intersected  by  the  Jordan 
which  runs  from  Utah  Lake  several  miles  to  the 
South  and  is  absorbed  in  that  inland  sea  of  salt 
water,  from  which  there  is  no  outlet  and  in  which 
there  is  no  life.  The  valley  appears  to  be  wholly 
covered  by  the  sage-brush  which  is  worthless  as 
food  or  fodder.  Where  this  plant  is  abundant  the 
chances  are  that  nothing  else  will  flourish  in  the 
bitter  earth  wherein  it  thrives.  Here,  however, 
the  rich  and  nutritive  bunch-grass  is  found  also. 
Thus  these  plains  are  excellent  grazing  land  for 
cattle. 

By  accident  I  learned  that  this  valley  had  a 
special  attraction  for  the  archrcologist.  Indian 


UTAH  SCENERY.  163 

burial  mounds  of  great  antiquity  are  situated  in  its 
midst.  These  mounds  contain  the  relics  of  tribes 
which  are  now  extinct,  having  been  driven  away 
or  exterminated  by  the  Indians  who,  in  their  turn, 
have  had  to  give  place  to  the  Mormons.  An 
English  friend,  a  visitor  like  myself  to  this  city 
and,  unlike  me,  a  well  skilled  archaeologist,  heard 
the  tidings  with  delight,  and  made  instant  arrange 
ments  for  a  visit  to  the  mounds.  On  enquiry,  we 
learned  that  few  persons  knew  their  names,  far 
less  their  history,  and  that  hardly  one  cared  a  straw 
about  them.  The  driver  of  a  conveyance  between 
the  hotel  and  the  city  baths,  professed  to  know 
where  they  were  situated ;  he  told  us  that  the  dis 
tance  to  them  was  eight  miles  and  that  his  fare 
for  the  journey  would  be  about  one  pound  sterling. 
Closing  with  his  terms,  we  started  off  on  our  quest. 
Taking  the  road  which  runs  west,  and  crossing 
the  Jordan,  we  then  proceeded  in  a  south-westerly 
direction.  On  our  way  we  saw  the  half-finished 
canal  which  was  undertaken  at  the  command  of 
Brigham  Young  with  a  view  to  repress  discontent 
by  finding  employment  for  idle  hands,  and  was 
also  designed  by  him  to  prove  that  the  age  of 
miracles  had  not  departed.  If  the  canal  had 
been  finished  and  had  served  the  intended  purpose 
of  bringing  water  from  the  Jordan  to  the  city, 


164  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

then  a  miracle  would  indeed  have  been  wrought, 
for  the  water  of  the  Jordan  would  have  run  uphill ! 
After  being  driven  about  in  different  directions 
across  the  plains,  the  driver  told  us  that  the  mounds 
had  changed  their  position.  Certainly,  no  trace  of 
them  could  be  perceived.  We  questioned  men 
who  were  tending  cattle,  and  got  some  hints  for 
our  guidance.  They  had  never  seen  Indian 
mounds,  but  they  had  heard  of  sand-hills.  As 
these  were  the  mounds  in  question,  we  ascertained 
where  they  were  situated,  and  at  last,  we  reached 
them.  It  was  evident  that  they  were  not  natural 
formations.  The  labour  of  a  few  hours  proved  to 
us  that  they  were  in  reality  the  places  of  sepulture 
of  an  ancient  Indian  tribe.  Flint  spear  heads, 
flint  arrow-heads,  stone  implements  and  fragments 
of  rude  potteryware,  we  disinterred  from  the  sand. 
As  the  means  at  our  disposal  for  making  a  thorough 
search  were  very  imperfect  and  as  the  time  in 
which  to  conduct  it  was  very  short,  the  total  num 
ber  of  articles  discovered  was  but  email.  All  of 
them  were  found  in  the  larger  of  the  three  mounds. 
It  was  something,  though  not  much,  to  have  satis 
fied  ourselves  as  to  the  fact  that  in  the  Valley  of 
the  Great  Salt  Lake  there  are  monuments  of  the 
buried  past,  and  that  the  extinct  Indians  who  once 
were  the  masters  of  this  region  have  left  behind 


UTAH  SCENERY.  105 

them  lasting   records  of  their  customs    and   their 
character. 

The  Indians  who  once  lived  here  first  passed 
away ;  others  of  fiercer  manners  and  greater  spirit 
occupied  their  places  ;  the  latter  being  now 
forced  to  acknowledge  the  superiority  of  a  still 
more  valiant  and  powerful  race,  have  become  the 
dependents  of  the  white  men,,  and  are  themselves 
gradually  disappearing  from  the  earth.  The  Mor 
mons  have  annexed  Utah  to  the  Territory  of  the 
pale  faces ;  they  have  instituted  a  form  of  govern 
ment  according  to  their  fancies ;  to  all  appearance, 
their  wills  are  law  here,  nevertheless  an  autho 
rity  stronger  than  their  own  is  the  actual  lord  of 
this  place.  Two  miles  to  the  east  of  the  city,,  the 
stronghold  of  the  real,  though  quiescent  superior 
over  this  Territory  is  situated.  On  a  plateau,  to 
which  the  ascent  is  gradual  but  continuous,  the 
troops  of  the  United  States  are  encamped,  and  the 
artillery  of  the  United  States  is  in  position.  The 
e  sconce '  which  Dugald  Dalgetty  persistently  ad 
vised  Sir  Duncan  Campbell  to  erect  f  upon  the 
round  hill  called  Drumsnab  '  could  not  have  been 
placed  in  a  more  commanding  position  than  Camp 
Douglas  is  for  the  purpose  it  was  designed  to 
subserve.  Behind  it  is  a  mountain  chain  rising  to 
a  great  height,  before  and  below  it  is  the  capital  of 


166  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

Mormondom.  The  city  could  be  shelled  so  as  to 
become  a  heap  of  ruins  in  an  hour ;  while  the  camp 
could  be  defended  by  a  small  force  against  the 
largest  attacking  party  which  is  ever  likely  to  be 
led  against  it.  For  any  other  purpose  than  that  of 
a  permanent  and  significant  demonstration  this 
camp  has  never  been  employed.  Much  tyranny  and 
injustice  may  still  be  perpetrated  under  the  shadow 
of  the  flag  which  is  the  symbol  of  liberty  and 
equal  rights,  yet  excesses  such  as  once  prevailed 
have  been  impossible  since  the  United  States  troops 
have  been  encamped  here.  The  Mormon  leaders 
sneer  at  the  folly  of  those  who  formed  and  garri 
soned  Camp  Douglas,  but  while  doing  so  they  also 
hesitate  to  give  the  signal  for  deeds  of  bloody  retri 
bution  to  the  Destroying  Angels  whom  they  once 
employed  to  murder  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  for 
the  consolidation  of  the  Church. 

The  Gentiles  who  reside  in  Salt  Lake  City  and 
the  stranger  who  temporarily  sojourns  there,  enjoy  a 
sense  of  security  while  within  the  lines  of  the  camp 
which  they  never  feel  within  the  city's  boundaries. 
Looking  down  from  this  place  of  vantage  upon  the 
dwellings  of  the  Saints,  they  can  with  difficulty 
give  credence  to  the  best  authenticated  -stories  of 
the  acts  of  violence  with  which  the  Mormons  are 
charged.  Even  if  no  camp  were  there  the  spectacle 


UTAH  SCENERY.  167 

would  absorb  them  to  the  exclusion  of  any  other 
thought.  The  view  of  the  distant  Pyrenees  from 
the  Place  Koyale  at  Pau  and  the  view  of  the 
Alpine  range  from  the  pinnacle  of  Milan  Cathedral 
are  among  the  most  justly  famed  of  European 
prospects.  Neither  is  superior  to  that  from  this 
spot.  In  the  foreground  is  the  city  with  its  houses 
and  orchards ;  in  the  middle  distance  is  the  broad 
valley  through  which  the  Jordan  winds  to  the  Lake, 
while  in  the  background  is  the  large  sheet  of  water 
with  a  bold  range  of  mountains  rising  from  its 
farthest  shore  till  their  summits  mingle  with  the 
clouds.  When  the  sun,  sloping  slowly  to  the  West, 
sinks  down  behind  these  mountains  the  sight  re 
sembles  a  dream  of  fairyland.  Mountain,  Lake,  and 
Valley  are  decked  in  a  gorgeous  robe  of  purple  and 

gold.  The  Lake  with  its  clusters  of  small  islands 
resembles  a  glowing  sheet  of  burnished  steel, 
studded  over  with  precious  stones.  These  ineffable 
glories  of  sky,  and  earth,  and  water  are  visible  but 
for  a  brief  space,  vanishing  almost  as  soon  as  seen. 
The  long  English  twilight  is  unknown  here.  For  a 
few  minutes  after  the  sun  'has  reached  the  horizon, 
a  delicate  rosy  tint  suffuses  the  sky  ;  then  the  ex 
piring  day  suddenly  darkens  into  night,  and  the 
firmament  is  ablaze  with  stars. 

Descending  the  mountain  slope  towards  the  city, 


1G8  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

I  forgot  for  the  moment  the  reputation  it  bore. 
That  man  could  be  vile  where  Nature  was  so 
lovely  appeared  impossible.  But  the  reality  soon 
became  apparent.  Meeting  and  conversing  with 
an  acquaintance  in  the  streets,  observing  him  ner 
vously  glancing  from  side  to  side  in  order  to  see  if 
we  were  watched  and  being  told  by  him  not  to 
speak  loudly  lest  eavesdroppers  were  within  earshot, 
I  was  forcibly  impressed  with  the  fact  that  the 
Mormon  system  was  inquisitorial  as  well  as  despotic. 
Nor  was  this  opinion  modified  when,  on  arriving  at 
the  hotel,  I  recognised  the  hang-dog  features  of 
one  whose  duty,  as  I  was  credibly  informed,  con 
sisted  in  following  the  footsteps  of  strangers  and 
spying  out  their  doings.  I  could  not  help  thinking 
that  the  scenery  of  Utah  was  defective  in  one  par 
ticular.  In  some  parts  of  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
where  villains  congregate,  justice  is  vindicated  in  a 
summary  manner  by  hanging  the  detected  criminal 
from  a  branch  of  the  nearest  tree.  Photographs  of 
these  executions  are  labelled  (  Kocky  Mountain 
Scenery.'  If  criminals  met  with  their  deserts  in 
Utah,  opportunities  would  soon  be  furnished  for 
taking  similar  photographs  from  life. 


XIII. 

THE  PAST  AND  THE  FUTURE  OF  MORMONISM. 

INGENIOUS  THEORIES  have  been  advanced  to  explain 
the  origin  and  success  of  Mormonism.  Attractive 
pictures  have  been  limned  of  Mormon  society,  and 
plausible  reasons  put  forth  in  defence  of  the  most 
reprehensible  of  Mormon  practices.  A  sweeping 
condemnation  has,  in  like  manner,  been  passed  rpon 
the  Saints:  it  has  been  denied  that  they  possess 
a  single  good  quality,  or  that  they  are  at  all 
better  than  the  savages  whom  they  have  displaced. 
If  the  best  that  has  been  said  about  them  be  true,  it 
does  not  entitle  them  to  universal  esteem.  If  the 
worst  be  well  founded,  if  they  are  indeed  hypocrites 
and  rogues,  sour  fanatics  and  intolerant  bigots,  the 
blame  lies  at  the  doors  of  those  who,  by  unjustly 
and  cruelly  persecuting  them,  laboured  to  make 
them  what  they  are.  Had  not  Joseph  Smith  won 
the  crown  of  martyrdom,  Brigham  Young  might 
.  never  have  governed  as  a  despot. 

When  the  Angel  Moroni  disclosed  to  Joseph  Smith 
the  reputed  secrets  which  the  Prophet  communi 
cated  to  the  world  in  the  Book  of  Mormon,  the 
minds  of  the  younger  men  in  America  were  pre- 


170  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

pared  to  hearken  to  a  revelation.  Almost  contem 
poraneously  with  the  prophetic  utterances  of  the 
first  high-priest  of  the  Latter  Day  Saints,  Mr.  Owen 
proclaimed  to  the  citizens  of  the  United  States  his 
scheme  for  achieving  universal  happiness  by  group 
ing  mankind  in  parallelograms.  The  excitement 
which  this  proposal  occasioned  was  due  to  the 
avidity  of  the  public  for  any  hints  which  might  clear 
the  way  for  the  regeneration  of  the  world.  A  like 
eagerness  to  experiment  with  the  theories  of  Fourier 
was  afterwards  manifested.  Josepn  Smith  had  this 
enormous  superiority  over  other  speculators  that, 
in  addition  to  indicating  the  path  towards  a  more 
perfect  state,  he  provided  a  new  religion  as  a  solace 
for  those  who,  having  been  buffeted  by  the  waves 
of  doubt,  could  find  no  anchorage  for  their  faith. 
Moreover,  his  religion  had  the  merit  of  being  a 
complement  to  that  which  was  generally  accepted, 
giving  precision  to  what  was  questionable,  widening 
the  boundaries  of  what  was  narrow.  The  heaven 
which  he  pictured  was  a  heaven  which  human 
beings  desired  all  the  more  strongly  because  it 
was  but  another  and  a  more  perfect  representation 
of  the  world  in  which  they  lived.  To  the  believers 
in  him  was  affordect  the  supreme  satisfaction  of  an 
immediate  display  of  spiritual  powers  and  a  present 
experience  of  spiritual  beings.  They  were  con- 


THE  PAST  AND  THE  FUTUEE  OF  MOEMONISM.   171 

vinced  that  the  Deity  had  returned  to  earth  and 
exhibited  himself  anew  on  their  behalf. 

Desiring  to  profit  by  the  privileges  accorded  to 
the  Saints,  thousands  enrolled  themselves  under  the 
banner  of  Joseph  Smith,  patiently  submitting  them 
selves  to  his  command  in  the  hope  of  winning  the 
rewards  promised  to  the  faithful  and  the  obedient. 
When  these  votaries  accompanied  him  to  the  Far 
West  and  there  formed  themselves  into  a  Society 
under  the  name  of  the  Latter  Day  Saints,  they 
merely  did  what  others  performed  when  they  con 
stituted  themselves  into  (  Communities,'  and  settled 
on  lands  purchased  with  a  view  to  afford  them  scope 
for  carrying  out  in  practice  the  social  theories  which 
they  had  accepted  as  panaceas  for  all  the  ills  of 
which  society  was  the  prey.  That  nearly  all  these 
communities  were  soon  dissolved  was  directly  due 
to  bankruptcy  and  was  indirectly  caused  by  the 
absence  of  a  tie  sufficiently  strong  and  lasting  to 
bind  them  together.  Their  religion  saved  the 
Latter  Day  Saints  from  sharing  the  fate  of  Owen's 
f  New  Harmony  ; '  of  the  many  phalanxes  in  which 
Fourier's  speculations  were  reduced  to  practice ;  of 
Brook  Farm  where  the  transcendentalists  of  New 
England  made  a  vigorous  but  futile  attempt  to 
demonstrate  the  right  manner  in  which  to  purge  the 
world  of  corruption  preparatory  to  ushering  in  the 


172  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

Golden  Age.    A  deplorable  combination  of  ignorance 
and  fanaticism  was   brought    to    bear  against  the 
infant  Church  and  the  newly  formed  association  of 
which  Joseph  Smith  was  the  head  and  the  originator. 
The  rough  dwellers  in  Missouri  arrayed  themselves 
against  him  and  compelled  his  followers  to  abandon 
their  settlement.    Fleeing  to  Illinois  they  were  there 
treated  with  a  barbarity  equally  gross  and  blame 
worthy.     The  law  proved  to  the  Prophet  not  a  pro 
tection,  but  a  snare.    Again  and  again  he  was  impri 
soned  on  paltry  pretexts,  but  his  persecutors  would 
not  believe  in  his  innocence  even  when  repeatedly 
proclaimed  by  a  Court  of  Justice.     The  prison  in 
which  he  was  last  immured  pending  the  progress  of 
another  trial  was  broken  open  by  armed  men  and  he 
was  foully  slain  in  cold  blood.    His  followers,  instead 
of  immediately  dispersing  in  dismay,  banded  them 
selves  together  with  increased   ardour,  having  re 
solved  to  dare  and  endure  everything  in  the  defence 
of  a  faith  which  they  regarded  with  the  stronger 
admiration  on  account  of  the  hatred  it  inspired  in 
the  breasts  of  lawless,  depraved,  and   cruel  men. 
The  desperate  resolve  to  seek  safety  in  an  unex 
plored  part  of  the  country  can   be   paralleled  by 
nothing  but   the    lofty  courage    which  moved  the 
Dutch   to    resolve    upon    submerging  their    entire 
country  and  to  take  ship  for  the  Indian  Archipelago 


TITE  PAST  AND  THE  FUTUEE  OF  MORMONIS1VI.  173 

rather  than  submit  to  the  debasing  bondage  which 
would  have  been  their  lot  had  the  King  of  France 
become  master  of  Holland. 

Having  arrived  at  the  Valley  of  the  Great  Salt 
Lake  and  assured  themselves  that  the  parched 
desert  and  the  towering  mountain  were  insuperable 
barriers  against  the  inhumanity  and  intolerance  of 
their  foes,  they  began  to  live  in  the  way  which 
seemed  the  best  according  to  their  lights. 

If  the  Mormons  had  never  learned  what  it  was  to 
battle  with  difficulties  almost  superhuman  and  to 
obtain  a  triumph  almost  miraculous,  they  might 
have  speedily  cooled  in  their  devotion  for  the  creed 
they  had  adopted,  or  interpreted  the  accepted  doc 
trines  in  diverse  ways.  But  the  fires  of  persecution 
had  strengthened  their  faith.  They  not  only  be 
lieved  implicitly  in  the  divinity  of  their  martyred 
Prophet,  but  they  were  disposed  to  interpret  his 
revelations  in  the  manner  most  consonant  with  their 
personal  experience.  They  considered  themselves 
as  the  Chosen  People  with  whom  God  was  ever 
present  and  against  whose  enemies  God  was  always 
ready  to  fight.  Just  as  the  Puritans  smarting 
under  the  atrocious  discipline  of  the  Star  Chamber 
readily  adopted  as  their  own  the  fulminations  of  the 
Old  Testament  against  the  wicked  in  authority,  and 
were  only  too  ready,  when  opportunity  offered,  to 


174  WESTWARD  33Y  RAIL. 

smite  with  the  sword  of  Gideon,  and  consider  the 
reeking  battlefield,  on  which  their  foes  weltered  in 
blood,  as  a  pleasing  sight  in  the  eyes  of  the  Almighty, 
so  did  the  Mormons  incline  to  give  effect  to  all  the 
harsh  threatenings  of  the  Bible  and  to  regard  as  of 
no  account  the  admonitions  to  be  slow  to  wrath  and 
abounding  in  mercy. 

The  spirit  with  which  they  were  ready  to  resist 
attack  from  without  was  displayed  in  the  works 
that  were  requisite  in  order  to  render  their  position 
secure  and  their  existence  easy.  They  laboured 
at  their  daily  tasks  as  if  they  were  vindicating  their 
sincerity  and  demonstrating  their  piety.  Under 
the  double  incentive  of  religious  enthusiasm  and 
individual  requirements  they  built  houses,  planted 
fruit  trees,  tilled  fields  and  reaped  harvests.  Even 
if  no  ignoble  ambition  animated  their  souls,  the 
circumstances  in  which  they  were  placed  furnished 
an  irresistible  stimulus  to  exertion.  For  none  of 
them  was  any  way  of  escape  from  the  Valley  open, 
and,  unless  all  toiled  to  the  uttermost  of  their 
powers,  to  none  was  subsistence  certain.  What 
was  effected  under  these  conditions,  all  Utah  bears 
witness. 

With  comparative  security  and  unlocked  for 
prosperity  came  a  longing  for  compensation  as  a 
reward  for  their  patience  under  privations,  bravery 


THE  PAST  AND  THE  FUTURE  OF  MOBMONISM.  175 

in  the  face  of  obstacles,  victory  over  great  odds. 
No  longer  apprehending  the  attacks  of  declared 
enemies,  they  desired  to  evince  that  they  were  a 
peculiar  and  an  exceptional  people  working  out 
an  intricate  problem  in  a  new  sphere.  In  their 
eyes  the  Old  Testament  had  gradually  become  lan 
authority  of  great  weight :  its  statements  had  com 
mended  themselves  to  their  minds ;  when,  then,  it 
was  proposed  to  adopt  as  their  own  the  rules  of 
the  Patriarchs  respecting  marriage  the  proposition 
met  with  general  acceptance,  because  it  chimed  in 
with  the  prevailing  sentiment.  Whether  Brigham 
Young  had  really  received  from  Joseph  Smith  the 
(  Revelation  on  Celestial  Marriage  '  which  he  pro 
mulgated  in  1852  was  not  a  circumstance  scanned 
too  closely  by  those  to  whom  the  revelation  was 
addressed.  To  be  different  in  all  things  from  the 
Gentiles  was  dear  to  the  hearts  of  the  persecuted 
Latter  Day  Saints.  The  indignation  which  the 
Gentiles  have  displayed  towards  those  who  openly 
practised  Polygamy  has  tended  more  than  anything 
else  to  confirm  the  Mormons  in  their  notion  as  to 
the  divinity  of  plural  marriage. 

Mormon  principles  have  triumphed  all  along  the 
line ;  yet,  in  the  thoroughness  of  the  victory,  lurks 
the  greatest  peril  to  the  cause.  The  high-handed 
measures  which  commanded  cheerful  assent  while 


176  WESTWARD  BY  EAIL. 

the  danger  lasted,  have  been  regarded  with  aversion 
and  have  excited  antipathy  since  the  time  has  ar 
rived  for  enjoying  the  fruits  of  conquest.  To  the 
vigour  and  foresight  of  Brighara  Young,  and  to 
the  daring  and  devotion  of  colleagues  not  inferior 
to  'him  in  ability,  the  Mormons  are  almost  wholly 
indebted  for  their  prosperity.  But,  even  while 
acknowledging  this,  they  hesitate  to  yield  uni 
form  respect  and  implicit  obedience  to  those  who 
originally  guided  their  footsteps  and  sustained  their 
efforts.  They  see  that  the  leaders  have  had  their 
reward  in  the  form  of  positions  of  honour  and  of 
large  possessions.  These  leaders  cling  to  the 
authority  which  they  have  acquired  or  usurped. 
They  will  not  relinquish  it  save  under  compulsion. 
Hundreds  refuse  to  submit  to  its  exercise.  Those 
who  have  stood  forth  and  challenged  the  claims  of 
Brigham  Young,  who  point  out  his  shortcomings, 
who  contest  his  right  to  demand  that  he  shall 
be  blindly  obeyed,  and  who  ridicule  his  preten 
sions  to  be  infallible,  elicit  sympathy  and  aid  from 
among  the  mass;  and  the  warfare  which  once  was 
waged  by  the  Gentiles  against  the  Mormons  pro 
mises  to  be  succeeded  by  an  embittered  strife 
between  Mormonism  and  Brigham  Youngdom. 

Under  these  circumstances  what  should  be  the 
course  of  Congress,  what  the  attitude  of  the  Go- 


THE  PAST  AND  THE  FUTUEE  OP  MORMONISM.  177 

vcrnment  of  the  United  States  ?  Interference  with 
Mormonism  as  a  system  of  religion  is  above  all 
things  to  be  deprecated.  It  does  not  follow,  how 
ever,  that  everything  which  assumes  the  cloak  of 
religion  should  be  connived  at,  tolerated,  or  ap 
proved.  If  a  minority  were  to  contend  that  a 
divine  revelation  authorised  them  to  pick  pockets 
and  cut  throats,  the  majority  would  rightly  reply 
that  they  were  empowered  by  law  to  imprison 
thieves  and  hang  murderers.  The  same  argument 
applies  to  such  a  case  as  that  of  the  Mormons  as 
far  as  Polygamy  is  concerned.  To  marry  several 
wives  is  alleged  to  be  a  part  of  the  Mormon  reli 
gion.  The  majority  may  retort  that  their  religion 
pronounces  Polygamy  illegal  and,  in  a  country 
like  the  United  States,  where  the  supreme  law  is 
the  will  of  the  majority,  the  Mormons  must  either 
convert  the  majority  to  their  views,  or  else  suffer 
the  penalty  provided  for  law-breakers.  No  Ameri 
can  citizen  is  entitled  to  complain  of  persecution 
when  the  law  is  impartially  administered. 

To  be  just  and  fear  not;  to  enforce  the  law 
which  is  no  respecter  of  persons ;  to  treat  the  erring 
Mormons  as  citizens  of  the  United  States  who 
have  no  royal  claim  for  exemption  from  the  penal 
ties  which  other  wrongdoers  must  pay,  but  whom, 
at  the  same  time,  it  would  be  iniquitous  to  single 


178  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

out  and  sacrifice  on  the  unhallowed  altar  of  reli 
gious  fanaticism,  is  the  sacred  duty  incumbent  on 
Congress,  is  the  imperative  mandate  of  the  execu 
tive  authorities.  The  original  and  crying  grievance 
of  the  Mormons  was  that  justice  had  invariably 
and  intentionally  been  denied  them.  They  were 
exiled  from  Missouri,  they  were  expelled  from 
Illinois  because  an  unjustifiable  prejudice  had  been 
excited  to  their  detriment.  No  Act  of  Congress 
had  they  infringed,  nor  had  they  denied  the  supre 
macy  of  the  law  of  the  land.  In  turn  they  have 
become  violators  of  statutes  and  ruthless  persecu 
tors  ;  the  Gentiles  have  suffered  at  their  hands  in 
dignities  quite  as  unbearable  and  injuries  nearly 
as  unpardonable  as  those  which  they  underwent  at 
the  hands  of  the  Gentiles.  The  fountain  of  justice 
is  tainted  in  Utah :  the  juries  and  judges  are  cor 
rupt  or  biassed.  A  righteous  policy  requires  that 
these  gross  abuses  should  be  extirpated  and  that 
in  the  eye  of  the  law  Mormon  and  Gentile  should 
be  absolutely  equal.  To  accomplish  this  should  be 
the  endeavour  and  aim  of  American  statesmen  and 
rulers.  That  more  than  this  should  be  undertaken 
or  achieved,  no  right-thinking  man  will  desire. 

If  Salt  Lake  Valley  were  to  become  the  home 
of  a   really  free  people,  it   would  be   one  of  the 


THE  PAST  AND  THE  FUTUBE  OF  MORMONISM.   179 

glories  of  the  American  Union.  Its  situation  is 
unrivalled  in  this  part  of  the  Continent.  A  tem 
perate  climate  blesses  the  inhabitants  with  good 
health ;  a  fruitful  soil  yields  them  food  in  abun 
dance.  The  surrounding  mountains  are  rich  in 
minerals ;  the  multitudinous  streams  are  alive  with 
fish.  Nature  has  designed  this  valley  to  be  a  ter 
restrial  paradise :  hitherto,  the  doings  of  man  have 
frustrated,  rather  than  forwarded  the  designs  of 
Nature. 

My  statement  of  actual  facts  will  probably  pro 
duce  an  impression  very  different  from  that  made 
by  the  brilliant  but  misleading  pictures  with  which 
preceding  visitors  to  the  mountain  home  of  the 
Mormons  have  delighted  the  public.  As  no  two 
persons  ever  see  the  same  thing  in  precisely  the 
same  light,  so  any  two  travellers  may  widely  differ 
in  their  estimate  of  an  institution  or  their  opinion 
of  a  people.  It  is  quite  true,  as  several  writers 
have  averred,  that  President  Brigham  Young  in 
culcates  on  his  flock  as  a  paramount  duty  that  of 
labouring  with  their  hands,  and  he  does  this  with 
the  greater  success,  inasmuch  as  it  is  certain  that 
those  who  will  not  work  must  starve.  So  far,  I 
agree  with  certain  other  visitors  to  Utah.  Rather 
than  note  the  points  of  disagreement  in  detail  let 
me  give  by  way  of  conclusion  the  summarised 
9 


180  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

results  of  my  own  observation.  I  found  the 
Mormons  as  a  body,  very  backward  and  ignorant 
when  compared  with  the  other  dwellers  on  tbe 
American  continent*  I  found  them  reluctant  to 
embody  their  thoughts  in  words,  afraid  to  speak 
their  minds  lest  they  should  be  punished  for  giving 
utterance  to  what  was  obnoxious  to  those  in  high 
places.  The  leaders  and  rulers  of  the  Mormons  are, 
for  the  most  part,  shrewd  and  determined  Yankees 
who  exercise  a  control  over  the  multitude  as  grind- 

*  Mr.  Horace  White,  ono  of  the  most  distinguished  members  of 
the  American  Press,  gives  as  the  result  of  his  enquiry  into  tho  work 
ing  of  Mormonism  an  opinion  similar  to  mine,  and  supports  it  with 
examples  which,  I  think,  merit  quotation : — '  I  happen  to  know  a 
Norwegian  settlement  in  Wisconsin,  whose  original  constituents 
were  as  ignorant  and  desperately  poor  as  any  Mormon  immigrants 
from  Wales  or  Denmark,  and  who  have  been  in  occupation  of  tho 
soil  about  the  same  length  of  time  as  the  Utah  Mormons.  They  arc 
o-day  more  than  seventy-five  per  cent,  in  advance  of  the  Mormons 
in  point  of  intelligence,  wealth,  culture,  and  everything  which  goes 
under  the  name  of  civilization,  and  they  have  neither  gambling 
shops  nor  grog  shops,  nor  houses  of  prostitution  licensed,  or  un 
licensed,  among  them.  They  had  no  better  start  in  America  than 
the  Mormons.  They  have  no  better  market  for  their  crops.  If  they 
had  a  rather  richer  soil  to  begin  with,  it  was  not  so  good  in  the  long 
run,  for  while  the  crops  in  Wisconsin  are  subject  to  constant  vicissi 
tudes  of  climate,  those  of  Utah  are  unfailing  and  enormous  in  their 
yield.'  'Returning  to  my  Norwegian  friends  on  Jefferson  Prairio, 
Wisconsin  (and  I  might  point  with  equal  force  to  tho  Swedish  settle 
ment  at  Galva,  Illinois,  or  to  the  Hollanders  of  Iowa),  M-C  find  that 
Mormonism,  so  far  from  advancing  the  physical  condition  of  tho 
common  people,  has  kept  them  from  making  the  advancement  to 
which  the  bountiful  earth  and  sky  have  constantly  invited  them.' — 
The  Chicago  Tribune,  16th  July,  1869. 


THE  PAST  AND  THE  FUTURE  OF  MORMONISM.   181 

ing  and  despotic  as  that  of  the  worst  tyrants  in 
history.  Neither  Jew  nor  Christian  can  safely  and 
easily  establish  himself  in  Utah,  either  for  the  sake 
of  pleasure  or  for  the  purposes  of  trade.  All  non- 
Mormons  are  subjected  to  a  system  of  persecution 
skilfully  organised  and  conducted  with  a  view  to 
their  expulsion  from  the  Valley  of  the  Great  Salt 
Lake.  In  the  Territory  of  Utah  I  found  a  parody 
on  the  religion  of  the  Bible  and  of  the  Koran, 
sanctioning  and  prescribing  the  treatment  of 
women,  not  as  intellectual  human  beings,  but  as 
mere  human  toys.  Having  had  this  experience,  I 
am  unable  to  accept,  as  a  reply  to  all  objections 
and  a  counter-balance  to  all  drawbacks,  the  incon 
testable  facts  that  President  Young  preaches  the 
gospel  of  labour,  and  that  Mormon  orchards  yield 
annually  many  thousand  bushels  of  large  ripe 
peaches  and  rosy-cheeked  apples. 


182  WESTWARD  BY  KAIL. 


XIV. 

THE  GREAT  SALT  LAKE  TO   THE   GEE  AT  AMERICAN 
DESERT. 

To  ENTER  the  cars  of  the  Union  Pacific  Bail- 
way  after  having  paid  a  visit  to  Salt  Lake  City  is 
like  setting  foot  on  one's  native  soil  after  sojourning 
among  a  strange  people  in  a  foreign  land.  The 
habits  and  modes  of  thought  of  the  Mormons  and 
the  social  atmosphere  in  which  they  live  are  alien 
to  the  visitor  who  has  neither  special  sympathy  with 
their  creed,  nor  is  predisposed  to  admire  their 
customs.  Seated  in  the  cars  again,  he  feels  himself 
free  to  speak  his  mind  without  dread  of  being  mis 
understood  and  without  danger  of  giving  offence. 

After  leaving  Uintah  and  proceeding  "Westward, 
Corinne  is  the  next  station  of  note.  Passengers 
bound  for  the  Territory  of  Montana,  which  lies  to 
the  north  of  Utah,  leave  the  train  here  and  take 
the  stage  coach.  Montana  has  the  reputation  of 
being  a  second  California.  Although  a  Mormon 
town  and  almost  exclusively  subjected  to  Mormon 
influences,  yet  in  Corinne  a  most  vigorous  and  un- 


GREAT  SALT  LAKE  TO  GEEAT  AMERICAN  DESERT.  183 

relenting  warfare  against  the  Saints  is  waged  by 
Mr.  J.  H.  Beadle,  the  editor  of  the  Utah  Daily 
Reporter.  In  Salt  Lake  City  this  could  not  be 
done.  The  Mormon  leaders  would  soon  find  means 
for  silencing  a  declared  foe  to  their  system  and 
scoffer  at  their  pretensions.  Certainly  they  would 
be  justified  in  protesting  against  the  virulent  lan 
guage  of  their  critic.  In  a  leading  article,  the 
Mormons  in  authority  are  likened  to  men  f  who 
would  rob  their  grandmothers  of  their  spectacles 
and  sell  their  frames  for  silver.'  The  principal 
Saints  whom  the  mass  of  the  ignorant  people  of 
Utah  almost  worship,  are  represented  as  {  a  lot  of 
New  England  Yankees  out  on  a  speculation  with 
not  the  least  speck  of  moral  or  honest  sentiment  in 
their  whole  composition.  They  are  out  here  lord 
ing  it  over  a  lot  of  foreign  converts  who  are  here 
made  peasants  and  slaves  to  these  Yankee  masters. 
With  such  men  to  obtain  absolute  sway  over  an 
ignorant  and  bigoted  people,  can  we  expect  any 
thing  else  than  that  these  leaders  should  be  what 
they  are — crafty  swindlers  and  licentious  monsters?' 
When  the  editor  leaves  Corinne  for  other  parts  of 
the  settlement  Jie  does  so  at  the  risk  of  his  life. 
He  has  more  than  once  experienced  harsh  treatment 
at  the  hands  of  exasperated  Mormons.  It  is  pos 
sible  that  his  voice  will  one  day  be  silenced  by 


184  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

such  irresistible  and  congenial  Mormon  arguments 
as  bullets  from  a  revolver  or  blows  from  a  club. 

After  passing  Corinne,  around  which  the  country 
is  fertile  and  well-cultivated,  the  line  runs  through 
a  barren  tract,  skirts  the  shore  of  the  Great  Salt 
Lake,  and  ascends  the  side  of  Promontory  Moun 
tain.  The  gradients  here  are  very  steep,  and  the 
cuttings  in  the  rock  must  have  been  made  with 
much  expenditure  of  toil  and  money.  Two  trestle 
bridges  are  crossed,  a  sharp  curve  is  rounded,  and 
the  station  of  Promontory  is  reached.  This  is  the 
Western  terminus  of  the  Union  Pacific,  and  the 
Eastern  terminus  of  the  Central  Pacific  Railway. 
Here  it  was  that  the  ceremony  of  uniting  the  two 
sides  of  the  Continent  by  rail  was  performed  on  the 
10th  of  May,  1869.  The  point  of  junction  was 
then  the  subject  of  controversy,  and  has  not  yet 
been  finally  settled.  The  present  arrangement  is 
the  result  of  a  compromise.  The  two  companies  in 
their  anxiety  to  earn  as  much  as  possible  of  the 
Government  subsidy,  carried  their  respective  lines 
as  far  as  an  hundred  miles  to  the  east  and  west  of 
Promontory.,  These  unfinished  roadways  are  still 
to  be  seen  side  by  side  with  the  completed  line. 
As  one  result  of  the  disagreement,  there  arc  few 
through  trains.  In  general  the  passengers  have  to 
change  carriages,  secure  fresh  sleeping  berths,  and 


GREAT  SALT  LAKE  TO  GREAT  AMERICAN  DESERT.  185 

get  their  luggage  moved  from  one  train  to  the 
other.  Two  hours  are  allowed  for  this,  as  well  as 
for  taking  a  meal.  There  is  usually  ample  time  to 
stroll  through  the  town  and  see  the  sights.  The 
town  is  built  partly  of  canvas  and  partly  of  wood, 
and  has  but  one  street.  The  signs  are  hardly  in 
keeping  with  the  structures  to  which  they  arc 
attached.  Over  a  shanty  is  painted  in  large  letters, 
f  Pacific  Hotel,'  and  over  a  tent,  '  Club  House.' 
One  of  the  wooden  dwellings  attracts  notice  on  ac 
count  of  the  neatly  arranged  muslin  curtains  within 
the  window.  Unlike  the  others,  it  has  no  sign 
board  to  indicate  its  purpose,  but  a  glance  through 
the  open  door  satisfies  the  curiosity  of  the  passer 
by.  He  sees  two  or  three  smiling  females  ready  to 
extend  welcomes  to  whoever  will  enter  in.  This  is 
characteristic  of  all  these  rude  settlements  in  the 
wild  Western  country.  In  a  canvas  town,  the 
abode  of  women  with  few  scruples  to  overcome  and 
no  characters  to  lose  is  as  distinguishable,  and  as 
much  a  thing  of  course,  as  the  gambling  hell  and 
the  drinking  saloon.  Of  drinking  saloons  there 
are  many  at  Promontory ;  but  there  is  only  one 
gambling  hell  as  far  as  I  could  learn.  This  one  is 
quite  enough  for  the  place.  In  its  way  the  hell  is 
unique.  The  object  of  its  keepers  is  to  entice  the 
passengers  halting  here  to  try  their  luck.  With 


186  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 


this  view  agents  are  sent  to  the  neighbouring 
stations,  where  they  take  their  places  in  the  cars, 
and  enter  into  conversation  with  the  occupants. 
Of  course,  as  soon  as  the  train  stops  at  Promontory 
these  agents  lead  the  way  to  the  gaming  table. 
Nor  have  they  far  to  go.  It  is  in  the  open  air, 
within  a  few  yards  of  the  line.  The  game  played 
is  three  card  Monte.  It  is  as  simple  as  thimblerig. 
Three  cards  are  laid  out  in  line  with  their  faces 
downwards.  Let  it  be  supposed  that  these  are  a 
Jack,  a  King,  and  a  Queen,  the  denomination  of 
the  cards  making  no  difference — the  dealer  will 
then  challenge  any  one  to  point  out  one  of  them, 
say  the  Jack.  A  stake  of  a  twenty  dollar  gold 
piece  depends  on  the  event.  In  front  of  the  card- 
dealer  is  a  pile  of  these  gold  pieces.  He  addresses 
the  on-lookers  as  follows : — (  Gentlemen,  you  have 
your  eyes  against  my  hand.  You  see  how  I  place 
the  cards,'  moving  the  three  backwards  and  for 
wards,  and  then  laying  them  in  a  row.  e  Now  I 
will  bet  any  one  of  you  that  he  does  not  point  out 
the  Jack ;  if  he  does  so  at  the  first  chance  he  wins 
his  money,  if  he  fails  he  loses  it.'  One  of  the  by 
standers  inquires  if  he  will  bet  without  touching  the 
cards,  to  which  the  reply  is, '  Certainly,  sir ;  I  will 
bet  anything,  from  20  to  100  dollars,  that  you  do 
not  point  out  the  Jack.'  The  speaker  steps  for- 


GREAT  SALT  LAKE  TO  GREAT  AMERICAN  DESERT.  1 87 

ward  eagerly  and  excitedly,  places  a  20  'dollar  gold 
piece  on  the  table,  and  points  to  a  card,  which, 
when  reversed,  is  seen  to  be  the  right  one.  He 
gets  his  20  dollars,  which  he  clutches,  and  then 
makes  off  rapidly,  as  if  surprised  and  delighted  at 
his  good  fortune,  carrying  off,  also,  the  winning 
card  in  the  excitement  of  the  moment.  The  card- 
dealer  calls  upon  him  to  return  the  ( ticket,'  adding, 
'  By  golly,  Sir,  you  have  beaten  me  this  time,  but 
you  are  as  welcome  to  the  money  as  if  you  had 
worked  hard  for  it.'  This  is  repeated  several  times, 
the  keeper  of  the  table  invariably  losing.  Indeed 
the  game  seems  absurdly  easy,  as  there  is  always  a 
small  black  speck  on  the  back  of  the  winning  card, 
and  every  onlooker  thinks  it  a  certainty  to  point 
out  this  card.  At  last,  after  the  dealer  had  lost  re 
peatedly,  a  man  came  out  of  the  tent  behind  the 
table  saying,  e  Come  now,  partner,  you  had  better 
stop ;  this  won't  do.'  To  which  he  replies,  e  By 
golly  I  will  play  till  I  lose  every  cent  I  have  in 
the  world.  I  must  win  nine  times  out  of  ten,  and 
I  am  ready  to  bet  any  gentleman  100  dollars  that 
he  does  not  point  out  the  right  card  this  time.' 
The  truth  is  the  men  who  had  staked  and  won 
were  what  we  call  confederates,  and  what  are  here 
called  'cappers.'  They  certainly  played  their  parts 
exceedingly  well,  and  would  have  imposed  on  any 


188  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

other  set  of  spectators  than  one  composed  of  old 
Californians,  who  are  too  knowing  birds  to  be 
caught  by  the  chaff  of  cardsharpers.  They  are  well 
acquainted  with  the  trick  of  the  game.  I  saw  a 
poor  German  baker,  destitute  of  experience  and 
endowed  with  but  little  sense,  dispossessed  in  a  few 
minutes  of  all  that  he  had  in  his  pockets.  The 
trick  consists  in  being  able  to-  deceive  the  spectator 
by  shifting  the  small  black  speck  on  the  back  of  the 
cards  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  him  point  to  the 
wrong  one.  "When  the  betting  is  real  the  '  Bank  ' 
never  loses.  I  have  been  told  that  the  winnings  on 
some  days  are  as  high  as  1,700  dollars.  It  is  the 
passengers  who  alone  become  dupes,  and  the  emi 
grant  trains  yield  the  most  plentiful  harvest.  A 
f  capper '  with  whom  I  conversed  supplied  me  with 
what  he  deemed  a  defence  of  the  *  institution.' 
This  '  capper '  strongly  urged  me  to  try  my  luck. 
I  thanked  him  for  his  recommendation  and  ex 
pressed  my  deep  regret  at  my  inability  to  con 
tribute  an  adequate  amount  to  the  gains  of  the 
Bank.  I  told  him  that  I  should  not  forget  his 
advice,  if  at  any  future  time  I  might  be  possessed  of 
more  money  than  I  could  easily  squander,  and  that, 
rather  than  get  rid  of  it  all  by  throwing  it  out  of 
the  window,  I  should  reserve  a  portion  wherewith 
to  visit  Promontory  station  and  lose  the  remainder 


GREAT  SALT  LAKE  TO  GREAT  AMERICAN  DESERT.  189 

at  three  card  Monte.  Thereupon  he  changed  his 
tone,  and  said  that  the  keepers  of  the  table  had 
been  harshly  treated  by  the  press,  had  been  called 
robbers  and  other  hard  names,  whereas  they  were 
honest,  straightforward  men  who  laboured  hard  in 
order  to  earn  their  living.  He  added  that  the  play 
was  perfectly  fair  to  those  who  took  part  in  it. 
This  was  perfectly  true  if  fairness  consisted  in 
uniform  winning  on  the  one  side,  and  uniform 
losing  on  the  other.  He  told  me,  moreover,  that 
many  emigrants  had  come  to  Promontory,  had  lost 
all  they  had,  and  had  been  kindly  treated  by  these 
calumniated  hell  keepers.  Their  charity,  he  said 
with  an  accent  of  candour  ar.a  an  air  of  kindliness 
which  would  have  done  credit  to  the  most  practised 
adept  in  professional  philanthropy,  was  conspicu 
ously  displayed  towards  those  whom  they  had 
beggared,  for  they  gave  them  a  sum  sufficient  to 
pay  their  journey  to  their  destination,  or  to  keep 
them  during  the  journey.  I  modify  while  trans 
lating  his  language,  which  was  rather  highly 
seasoned  with  vigorous  and  sonorous  expletives. 
Although  the  small  population  of  this  place  is  com 
posed  for  the  most  part  of  roughs  and  gamblers, 
with  the  admixture  of  a  female  element  quite  as 
obnoxious,  yet  the  peace  is  tolerably  well  kept  on 
account  of  the  awe  felt  for  the  railway  officials.  It 


190  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

is  tacitly  understood  that  open  lawlessness  or  any 
serious  disturbance  would  end  in  the  clean  sweep  of 
the  whole  nest  of  scoundrels.  If  those  who  had  the 
power  were  at  once  to  begin  the  cleapsing  process, 
they  would  do  a  service  to  all  travellers  over  this 
railway. 

f  Pullman's  palace  cars  *  do  not  form  part  of 
the  ordinary  trains  on  the  Central  Pacific  Railway. 
That  company  has  what  it  calls  '  silver  palace 
cars/  of  which  the  name  is  the  best  part.  They 
arc  very  inferior  when  compared  with  those  of 
the  Pullman  Company.  Besides,  the  system  of 
management  is  far  less  perfect.  In  Pullman's 
cars  there  is  a  conductor  whose  duty  it  is  to  see 
that  the  passengers  are  properly  cared  for,  and 
under  him  arc  coloured  servants,  one  being  attached 
to  each  car.  The  Central  Pacific  Company's  cars 
are  in  charge  of  a  coloured  man,  who  also  acts  as 
attendant.  This  double  part  is  generally  done 
badly.  The  opinion  prevailed  throughout  the  train 
that  at  least  one  of  these  coloured  gentlemen  would 
suffer  rough  usage  some  day  at  the  hands  of  ex 
asperated  passengers.  His  insolence  and  inatten 
tion  were  unbearable.  He  was  certainly  the  wrong 
man  for  the  place.  The  conductors  of  Pullman's 
cars  are  patterns  of  good  officials.  They  are  hand 
somely  paid.  They  hold  office  on  the  condition  that 


GREAT  SALT  LAKE  TO  GREAT  AMERICAN  DESERT.  191 

• 

no  complaint  is  preferred  against  them,  instant  dis 
missal  being  the  consequence  of  any  well-founded 
charge.  It  is  this,  among  other  things,  which  has 
rendered  Pullman's  Car  Company  a  splendid  com 
mercial  success. 

If  the  cars  of  the  Californian  Company  are  in 
ferior  to  those  of  its  rival,  the  Californians  are 
entitled  to  a  large  share  of  the  praise  due  to 
those  who  constructed  this  railway.  A  few  words 
may  fitly  be  expended  in  stating  what  they  did. 
Several  years  ago,  when  Sacramento  was  a  much 
smaller  place  than  it  now  is,  some  of  its  most 
intelligent  residents  convinced  themselves  of  the 
feasibility  of  carrying  a  line  of  rail  across  the  lofty 
and  snow-capped  Sierra  Nevadas.  At  their  own 
expense  they  had  a  survey  made.  A  route  was  fixed 
upon,  plans  were  drawn  up,  and  the  details  of  the 
project  elaborated.  Throughout  the  state  of  Cali 
fornia  the  scheme  became  so  popular,  that  to  be  a 
6  railroad  man '  was  one  of  the  best  claims  where 
with  to  secure  the  votes  of  electors.  A  state  charter 
was  formally  obtained,  and  the  promoters  went  to 
Washington  to  urge  the  measure  upon  Congress. 
This  was  in  1862,  when  the  nation  was  alive  to 
the  necessity  of  facilitating  intercourse  with  the 
Pacific  States,  in  order  that  the  perils  to  which  the 
Union  was  then  exposed  might  not  be  rendered 


192  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

• 
more  formidable  in  character  or  more  extended  in 

range.  The  desire  of  California  to  have  the  rail 
way  constructed  was  thus  in  unison  with  the  heart 
felt  aspirations  of  the  Eastern  States.  Accordingly, 
the  assent  of  Congress  was  given  to  the  pro 
posed  scheme,  and  the  pecuniary  aid  of  the  Govern 
ment  pledged  to  carry  it  into  effect.  However, 
forty  miles  had  to  be  completed  before  any  money 
could  be  claimed  from  the  Government,  and  these 
forty  miles  ran  up  the  steep  slopes  of  mountains  so 
lofty  as  apparently  to  defy  the  science  of  the  most 
skilful  and  sanguine  engineer.  Yet  the  formidable 
obstacles  were  vanquished  one  after  another,  and  the 
prophets  who  predicted  failure,  and  the  cynics  who 
styled  the  scheme  a  swindle,  were  put  to  open 
shame.  The  Californians  allege  that,  while  their 
section  of  the  line  presented  the  largest  number  of 
engineering  problems  to  solve,  it  is  far  the  better  of 
the  two.  They  might  add  that  had  they  not  had 
the  advantage  of  the  cheap  and  efficient  labour  of 
Chinamen  it  would  still  have  been  a  grand  project, 
or  else  but  slowly  advancing  towards  completion. 

Meantime  the  train  has  been  careering  over  the 
Central  Pacific  Railway,  and  along  the  shore  of 
the  Great  Salt  Lake,  thus  affording  to  the  pas 
sengers  a  splendid  view  of  that  magnificent  sheet  of 
water,  as  well  as  of  the  bold  mountain  peaks  which 


GREAT  SALT  LAKE  TO  GREAT  AMERICAN  DESERT.  193 

encompass  it.  The  prospect  is  one  to  be  enjoyed 
and  remembered.  But  it  is  the  only  glimpse  of 
scenery,  worthy  of  special  note,  on  which  the  eye 
rests  with  pleasure.  We  are  still  within  the  Ter 
ritory  of  Utah.  Promontory  Point,  where  the 
junction  was  formally  made  between  the  railways 
of  which  the  starting  points  were  Sacramento  and 
Omaha,  is  in  that  Territory.  The  Mormons  con 
structed  more  than  an  hundred  miles  of  the  railway, 
and  Brigham  Young  is  said  to  have  enriched  himself 
by  the  way  in  which  he  manipulated  the  contracts. 
Yet,  on  the  memorable  day  when  the  line  was 
finally  completed  and  officially  opened,  the  very 
existence  of  the  citizens  of  Utah  was  unrecognised, 
if  not  forgotten.  The  Governor  of  Arizona  was 
present  and  brought  with  him  a  silver  spike  as 
the  contribution  of  the  dwellers  in  his  remote  Ter 
ritory.  The  State  of  Nevada  also  sent  a  silver 
spike,  fashioned  by  the  hands  of  one  hundred  citi 
zens.  Some  munificent  citizens  of  San  Francisco 
contributed  two  golden  spikes,  as  an  offering  on 
behalf  of  the  State  of  California,  while  the  last 
4  tie '  or  sleeper  was  a  beautiful  piece  of  Californian 
laurel.  The  ceremony  of  driving  the  last  spike  was 
marked  by  an  incident  to  which  a  parallel  will  be 
sought  in  vain  among  the  many  extraordinary  feats 
of  modern  times.  The  hammer  with  which  the 


194  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

blows  were  given  was  connected  to  a  wire  in  direct 
communication  with  the  principal  telegraph  offices 
throughout  the  Union.  Thus  the  instant  that  the 
work  was  consummated  the  result  was  simulta 
neously  saluted  on  the  shores  of  two  great  Oceans 
and  throughout  the  wide  expanse  of  a  vast  con 
tinent  by  the  roar  of  cannon  and  the  ringing  of 
bells.* 

Several  miles  westward  of  Promontory  station, 
the  line  traverses  what,  properly  speaking,  is  the 
Great  American  Desert.  This  is  supposed  to  be 
the  bed  of  an  inland  sea.  In  barrenness  it  rivals 
the  Desert  of  Sahara ;  in  desolation  and  dreariness 
it  cannot  be  surpassed.  A  coating  of  alkali  dust 
gives  to  it  the  appearance  of  a  snow-covered  plain. 
But  snow  is  far  less  intolerable  than  the  alkali. 
"Where  it  abounds  nothing  of  service  to  man  or 
beast  can  live.  Shoe-leather  is  burned  by  it  as  by 
quicklime.  The  minute  particles  which  float  in  the 
air  irritate  the  throat  and  lungs  as  keenly  as  the 

*  Lest  any  curious  traveller  should  waste  his  time  in  seeking  for 
the  precious  spikes  and  the  valuable  sleeper,  I  may  state  that  they 
were  removed  almost  as  soon  as  laid,  and  that  pieces  of  ordinary 
wood  and  iron  were  substituted  for  them.  Eut  these,  however,  did  not 
long  remain  intact.  The  hoarders  of  relics  hacked  the  sleeper  into 
splinters  in  the  course  of  a  few  minutes,  and  attacked  tho  last  rail 
with  a  vigour  which  had  the  effect  of  rendering  it  worthless.  The 
sleeper  had  to  be  renewed  three  times  and  the  rail  once  in  the 
course  of  a  week.  Even  then,  credulous  visitors  were  still  busied 
in  cutting  mementoes  of  the  •  last  tie.' 


GREAT  SALT  LAKE  TO  GREAT  AMERICAN  DESERT.  195 

steel  dust  which  cuts  short  the  lives  of  Sheffield 
needle-grinders.  Long  before  Elko  is  reached,  a 
station  200  miles  distant  from  Promontory,  the 
passengers  in  the  train  fervently  pray  to  be  de 
livered  from  this  corrosive  and  ubiquitous  alkali 
dust. 

Soon  after  the  opening  of  the  railway,  a  party,  of 
which  ex- Senator  Ben  Wade  was  one,  made  this 
journey.  Complaints  were  rife  about  the  discom 
forts  experienced  on  this  section  of  the  line.  Wish 
ing  to  make  the  best  of  what  could  not  be  remedied, 
the  Mark  Tapley  of  the  party  remarked  that  with 
plenty  of  water  to  lay  the  dust  and  congenial  com 
panions,  the  Great  American  desert  would  be,  not 
only  endurable,  but  delightful.  Whereupon  the 
ex-Senator  observed : — f  With  plenty  of  water  and 
good  society,  Hell  would  not  be  a  bad  place  to  live 


J96  WESTWARD  EY  RAIL. 


XV. 

THE  HUMBOLDT  RIVER  AXD  PLAINS. 

AFTER  passing  through  the  Great  American  Desert 
the  sight  of  a  running  river  and  luxuriant  vegeta 
tion  is  most  enjoyable.  The  stream  which  freshens 
and  fertilises  this  region  is  the  Humboldt,  having 
its  source  in  the  mountains  of  that  name,  and  flow 
ing  westwards  for  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles. 
Along  the  banks  of  the  river  Humboldt  is  a  thick 
fringe  composed  of  willow  trees  and  a  variety  of 
shrubs.  It  is  characteristic  of  this  part  of  the 
country  that  as  soon  as  the  land  is  irrigated  almost 
any  plant  or  vegetable  can  be  grown  upon  it.  The 
climate  is  genial.  If  it  were  not  for  the  lack  of 
rain  millions  of  acres  might  be  at  once  brought 
under  cultivation.  Hence  the  extreme  value  of 
the  tract  adjacent  to  a  stream  of  water  large  enough 
to  supply  all  that  is  required  for  the  purposes  of 
irrigation.  When  the  emigrants  formerly  traversed 
this  route,  they  timed  their  halting  places  so  as  to 
be  within  easy  reach  of  a  river.  In  many  places 
there  are  numerous  pools  of  water;  but  for  the 


THE  HUMBOLDT  RIVER  AND  PLAINS.          197 

most  part  these  are  so  strongly  impregnated  with 
alkali  as  to  be.  even  more  undrinkable  than  sea 
water.  The  alkali  water  burns  the  tongue,  inflames 
the  throat,  irritates  the  stomach.  Those  who  essay 
it  will  agree  with  the  American  writer  who  says  :— 
f  Taste  it  at  the  first  opportunity,  and  you  will  wish 
that  the  first  opportunity  had  come  last,  or  that  it 
never  had  arrived.'  An  animal  will  die  of  thirst 
sooner  than  drink  a  drop  of  it.  Yet  men  have  been 
known  to  struggle  against  an  impending  death  from 
thirst  and  exhaustion  by  painfully  swallowing  small 
portions  of  this  bitter  water.  Happily  these  trials 
are  no  longer  among  the  dangers  which  beset  the 
traveller  across  the  Great  American  Desert  and  the 
Humboldt  Plains.  The  railway  has  changed  all 
that.  Where  there  is  no  drinking  water  on  the 
spot,  it  is  brought  by  train.  In  several  places  tanks 
have  been  erected  for  containing  a  supply  of  water 
sufficient  to  meet  all  ordinary  wants. 

In  the  midst  of  the  Humboldt  Plains  is  the  town 
of  Elko,  at  which  the  train  makes  a  long  stoppage. 
This  is  one  of  the  mushroom  towns  which  abound 
to  the  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  It  contains 
three  thousand  inhabitants.  "What  Sacramento  and 
San  Francisco  were  twenty  years  ago,  Elko  is  said 
to  be  at  the  present  moment.  It  is  laid  out  in 
streets,  and  these  streets  are  lined  with  shops  and 


198  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL, 

dwellings.  As  names,  Commercial-street,  Main- 
street,  Railroad-street  sound  well,  while  First, 
Second,  Third,  Fourth,  and  Fifth  Streets  convey 
the  notion  of  an  American  city  of  size  and  import 
ance.  But  it  is  one  thing  to  read  of  those  streets, 
and  another  and  very  different  thing  to  walk  in 
them.  They  are  as  much  entitled  to  the  appellation 
of  streets  as  are  the  spaces  between  the  booths  of  a 
country  fair.  Nor  are  the  shops,  houses,  and  public 
offices  at  all  more  imposing  than  the  booths  erected 
in  a  night  for  the  business  of  a  day.  The  thorough 
fares  are  neither  paved  nor  macadamised.  They 
are  as  primitive  in  character  as  the  pathways  be 
tween  the  tents  on  "Wimbledon  Common  when  the 
Volunteers  are  encamped  there.  The  foot  pas 
senger  walks  among  alkali,  and  as  he  moves  along 
he  raises  a  cloud  of  dust  which  whitens  and  damages 
his  clothes,  and  excoriates  his  nostrils.  Over  the 
fronts  of  shops  constructed  of  wood,  canvas,  or 
a  combination  of  both,  are  signs  intimating  that 
everything  the  pedestrian  wants  is  to  be  had  within. 
If  he  enters  one  of  these  pretentious  e  stores '  he  will 
find  that  with  money,  and  plenty  of  it,  he  has  at  his 
command  whatever  he  can  desire,  from  a  box  of 
pills  to  a  bottle  of  champagne,  and  from  a  cigar  to 
a  pot  of  blacking.  On  the  outside  of  some  huts  is 
a  board  with  the  inscription  that  a  lawyer  or  a 


THE  HUMBOLDT  EIVER  AND  PLAINS.         199 

doctor  may  be  consulted  within.  One  of  these  huts 
has  these  words  painted  above  the  door  in  large 
black  letters : — (  Office  of  the  Elko  Independent.'' 
A  newspaper  office  in  such  a  locality  specially 
attracts  the  attention  of  anyone  to  whom  newspaper- 
offices  are  places  of  personal  interest.  I  regret  that 
the  time  at  my  disposal  was  insufficient  to  visit  this 
home  of  journalism  in  what  was  little  better  than  a 
wilderness.  I  was  fortunate  enough,  however,  to 
succeed  in  procuring  a  copy  of  the  Elko  Independent. 
It  is  published  twice  a  wreek ;  is  printed  on  good 
paper  ;  its  leading  articles  are  quite  as  well  written 
,  as  those  which  grace  the  columns  of  an  English 
provincial  newspaper,  while  its  advertisements  are 
fraught  with  instruction  of  a  new  and  curious  kind. 
That  the  price  of  a  copy  should  have  been  one 
shilling  surprised  me  less  than  the  fact  that  the 
journal  was  published  at  all,  and  was  supported  by 
the  small  population  of  this  primitive  town. 

One  of  the  advertisements  was  very  noteworthy. 
It  was  worded  as  follows : — f  Ung  Gen,  Chinese 
Doctor,  Silver-street,  between  Fourth  and  Fifth, 
Elko,  will  attend  professionally  to  all  who  may 
require  his  services.  Having  been  engaged  in  a 
steady  practice  for  several  years,  he  is  prepared  to 
cure  all  diseases  that  may  come  to  his  notice.'  This 
was  not,  as  sceptical  readers  may  suppose,  an  adver- 


200  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

tising  trick.     Chinese  doctors  are  not  shams  here, 
but  living  realities,  and,  in  their  own  way,  useful 
members  of  society.     In  some  parts  of  the  Union 
mock  Indians  impose   on   the   credulous,  and  de 
ceive  the  unwary.     At  Saratoga,  for  example,  the 
Indian  camp  is  inhabited  by  persons  bearing  strong 
physical   resemblances  to  Irishmen  of  pure  blood 
and  obstreperous  patriotism.    Around  Niagara  Falls 
the   Indians    have   a   very   theatrical    appearance. 
Their  names  and  dresses  alone  recal  the  wild  abori 
gines  of  America.     But  the  Chinese  in  these  parts 
of  the  American  continent  are  genuine  natives  of 
the  Flowery  Land.      They  have   been   the   chief 
constructors  of  the  Pacific  Railway.     They  are  the 
most  docile  and  trustworthy  of  servants.    Along  the 
line  I  saw  squads  of  them  at  work.     At  this  place 
they  are  so  common  as  to  attract  no  notice.     Many 
of  them-were  making  their  way  through  the  crowd 
on  the  platform  of  the  station.    Four  or  five  women 
and  a  few  children  were  the  momentary  objects  of 
interest,  for  Chinawomen  are  but  seldom  seen  in 
public.     Not  less  curious  than  the  advertisement  of 
the  Chinese  doctor,  whose  '  steady  practice  for  se 
veral  years '  had  prepared  him  *  to  cure  all  diseases,' 
was  that  of  a  firm  of  druggists.     This  firm  inti 
mated  not  only  that  it  was   ready  to   supply  all 
drugs   and  to   prepare   all  prescriptions,   but  also 


THE  HUMEOLDT  EIVEB  AND  PLAINS.        201 

that  it  had  on  hand  '  a  large  stock  of  paints,  oils, 
window-glass,  castor  oil ;  also  a  large  assortment  of 
fishing  lines  and  hooks  of  all  kinds.'  Another  an 
nouncement  may  be  repeated  for  the  benefit  of 
future  visitors  to  Elko.  In  it  the  keeper  of  the 
e  White  Pine  Saloon  '  informs  his  patrons  that — 
e  The  most  delicate  fancy  drinks  are  compounded  by 
skilful  mixologists  in  a  style  that  captivates  the 
public  and  makes  them  happy.'  Turning  from  the 
advertising  to  the  leader  columns  of  the  Elko  In 
dependent,  I  find  that  the  Democratic  party  is 
honoured  with  its  support,  and  that  the  Chinese 
are  the  objects  of  its  aversion.  A  proposition  for 
excluding  Chinese  labour,  without  openly  perse 
cuting  Chinamen,  deserves  mention  on  account  of 
the  malicious  ingenuity  which  inspired  it.  The 
writer  points  out  that  it  is  characteristic  of  the 
Chinese  to  desire  that  their  remains  should. be  in 
terred  among  the  graves  of  their  ancestors,  and  that 
to  be  buried  in  a  foreign  land  is  repugnant  alike  to 
their  religious  sentiments  and  patriotic  feelings. 
Taking  advantage  of  this,  it  is  proposed  to  make  it 
a  penal  offence  *  to  disturb  the  remains  of  the  dead 
after  burial,  and  to  attempt  to  carry  away  from  our 
shores  the  mortal  remains  of  one  of  that  people,  and 
the  good  work  of  excluding  them  is  accomplished.' 
From  conversations  with  fellow-travellers  I  learned 


202  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

that  the  aversion  to  the  Chinamen  is  very  general 
on  the  Pacific  slope  of  the  continent.  The  Chinese 
I  saw  along  the  line  appeared  to  be  hard-working 
and  good-tempered  beings,  ready  to  interchange 
words  with  whoever  would  converse  with  them  in 
the  broken  English  which  they  understand,  and  de 
lighted  when  a  passenger  who  had  lived  in  China 
gave  utterance  to  a  word  or  phrase  in  their  native 
tongue.  One  or  two  Chinamen  entered  the  train 
here.  Among  them  was  a  merchant  who  had 
amassed  a  fortune,  who  spoke  English  fluently,  and 
who  conversed  intelligently  on  most  subjects.  He 
was  not  allowed  a  seat  in  the  best  cars,  but  was  con 
demned  to  occupy  a  place  in  the  emigrants'  cars. 
All  his  money  could  not  conquer  the  prejudice 
against  his  tribe.  Though  the  negroes  have  been 
emancipated,  yet  the  spirit  of  caste  still  works  mis 
chief  in  America.  Indeed,  as  an  American  writer 
has  forcibly  remarked :  '  The  spirit  of  "  Native 
Americanism  "  is  but  a  thinly  disguised  aristocracy 
of  birth.'  Perhaps  no  two  persons  in  the  motley 
group  on  the  platform  at  Elko  station  were  more 
helpless  and  misplaced  than  a  Frenchman  and  his 
wife.  They  were  evidently  very  poor,  were  mise 
rably  clad  and  dirty,  and  downcast  in  spirit.  They 
hardly  knew  a  word  of  English,  and  those  about 
them  were  ignorant  of  French.  Their  desire  was  to 


THE  HUMBOLDT  RIVER  AND  PLAINS.        203 

get  to  the  silver  mines  in  as  cheap  a  way  as  possible, 
being  under  the  delusion  that  if  they  once  reached 
the  mines  their  fortunes  were  as  good  as  made. 
This  was  the  second  French  couple  I  met  in  this  far 
away  region.  The  other  wretched  pair  had  taken 
up  their  abode  in  Salt  Lake  City,  with  a  view  to 
deal  in  furs.  Both  had  been  from  ten  to  fifteen 
years  in  America,  and  the  husband  alone  could 
make  himself  imperfectly  understood.  His  wife  spoke 
French  only.  They  uttered  warm  expressions  of 
satisfaction  when  they  found  one  with  whom  they 
could  converse  in  their  own  language.  Unfortu 
nately  the  pleasure  was  not  reciprocal,  seeing  that 
this  unhappy  couple  took  advantage  of  the  opportu 
nity  to  pour  forth  a  long  and  by  no  means  interesting 
account  of  their  sufferings  and  their  disappoint 
ments.  The  couple  at  Elko  thought  less  about 
telling  their  story  than  about  finding  a  team  of 
mules  wherewith  to  start  for  the  silver  yielding 
region.  They  were  clearly  directed  whither  to  go, 
but  when  last  I  saw  them  as  the  train  moved  off, 
they  were  walking  in  the  wrong  direction  in  a  state 
of  hopeless  bewilderment. 

What  gives  importance  to  this  place  is  the  fact 
that  the  road  to  the  White  Pine  mining  district 
branches  off  at  Elko.  This  district  is  about  125 

miles  south  of  Elko,  and   is   almost  due   cast  of 
10 


204  WESTWARD  EY  RAIL. 

Virginia  City,  where  the  excitement  with  regard 
Co  silver  mining  in  Nevada  first  broke  out,  and  at 
tracted  general  notice.  The  reputation  of  White 
Pine  had  been  achieved  in  a  very  short  time.  In 
February,  1869,  the  population  of  the  district  was 
reckoned  at  four  hundred  people  ;  five  months  later 
it  had  increased  to  twenty  thousand.  The  domi 
nant  topic  in  every  conversatioa  is  the  silver  mines 
of  this  State.  Let  me  pause  in  the  description  of 
my  journey  to  furnish  a  brief  account  of  the  silver 
mines  of  Nevada. 


205 


XVI. 

THE  STATE  OF  NEVADA  AND  ITS  SILVER  TREASURES. 

PRIOR  TO  1861,  what  is  now  known  as  the  State  of 
Nevada  formed  part  of  the  Territory  of  Utah.  The 
Mormons  were  in  the  minority  and  the  Gentiles 
were  dissatisfied  with  their  own  condition.  Having 
resolved  upon  separating  themselves  from  the  Mor 
mons,  the  Gentiles  met  together,  passed  resolutions, 
and  formed  a  territorial  organization.  Congress 
approving  of  their  conduct,  gave  validity  to  the 
arrangements  they  had  made.  The  President  ap 
pointed  a  Governor  over  the  new  Territory.  The 
numbers  of  the  citizens  rapidly  increased :  their 
ambition  prompted  them  to  desire  admission  into 
the  Union  and,  on  Congress  giving  the  necessary 
consent,  the  semi-independence  and  the  valuable 
privileges  accorded  to  a  State  became,  in  1864,  the 
portion  of  Nevada. 

As  early  as  1859  discoveries  of  silver  in  Nevada 
had  attracted  the  notice  of  adventurous  miners  in 
all  parts  of  the  West.  Ten  years  had  then  elapsed 
since  the  gold  excitement  in  California  startled  and 
fascinated  the  world.  The  Californian  quartz  mines 


206  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

were  as  rich  as  ever,  but  the  individual  miner  found 
great  difficulty  in  getting  a  return  for  his  labour  equal 
to  that  which  he  could  easily  command  before  the 
watercourses  had  been  rifled  of  nuggets  and  all  the 
gold  dust  had  been  sifted  from  the  sand  and  gravel. 
To  these  disappointed  and  desponding  miners  the 
news  that  silver  was  even  more  abundant  in  Nevada 
than  gold  had  ever  been  in  California  was  received 
with  great  joy,  and  an  immediate  rush  was  made  to 
the  new  Potosi.  The  yield  of  the  great  Comstock 
lode  was  such  as  to  verify  to  the  letter  the  most 
highflown  statements,  and  to  gratify  the  most  san 
guine  hopes.  Virginia  City,  in  Western  Nevada, 
was  built  within  easy  reach  of  this  lode  and  the 
whole  district  was  honey-combed  with  mines.  The 
estimated  value  of  the  gold  and  silver  obtained  in 
this  district  during  ten  years  is  twenty  millions 
sterling.  Sixteen  millions  of  dollars  are  believed 
to  be  the  gross  annual  yield.  The  sum  is  enormous, 
yet  the  proportion  of  actual  gain  is  very  small. 
The  net  profit  is  understood  to  be  not  greater  than 
half  a  million  of  dollars.  Worse  than  the  insigni 
ficance  of  the  return  is  the  prospect  that,  unless  a 
desperate  experiment  prove  successful,  these  mines 
will  have  to  be  abandoned  altogether.  To  avert 
this  calamity  a  tunnel  is  now  being  driven  into 
Mount  Davidson  with  a  view  to  intersect  the  great 


NEVADA  AND  ITS  SILVER  TREASURES.        207 

Comstock  lode  at  the  depth  of  2,000  feet.  The 
distance  to  be  driven  is  four  miles.  Mr.  Sutro  is 
the  projector  of  the  tunnel,  and  it  has  been  named 
after  him.  Opinions  are  divided  as  to  the  merits  of 
the  enterprise.  Its  very  magnitude  is  regarded  by 
some  as  an  insuperable  bar  to  its  success,  while  more 
daring  and  confident  spirits  predict  the  brilliant 
triumph  of  the  gigantic  undertaking.  It  is  not 
necessary  to  be  a  practical  miner,  an  experienced 
engineer,  or  a  volunteer  prophet  to  state  that  the 
Sutro  tunnel  will  either  beggar  its  promoters,  or  else 
be  the  means  of  converting  each  of  them  into  a 
Croesus. 

To  the  east  of  Virginia  City  another  district  rich 
in  silver  deposits  attracted  miners  in  1862.  This  is 
called  the  Reese  Eiver  district.  The  mines  in  it  do 
not  yield  large  quantities  of  ore,  but  the  ore  found 
in  them  is  of  a  superior  class.  Austin  City  is  the 
chief  town  of  this  locality.  But  the  spot  which  at 
present  surpasses  all  others,  which  has  been  more 
than  a  nine  days  wonder,  and  the  theatre  of  an  ex 
citement  which  tends  to  increase  rather  than  abate, 
which  has  been  the  haven  of  miners  disgusted  with 
the  reality  elsewhere,  and  is  one  of  the  most  notable 
among  the  many  rich  repositories  of  silver  treasure 
in  the  State  of  Nevada,  bears  the  name  of  White 
Pine. 


208  WESTWARD  BY  HAIL. 

This  district  which  lies  clue  east  of  Virginia  City 
was  first  '  prospected '  by  some  adventurous  miners 
who  left  Austin  City  in  the  spring  of  1865  with  the 
design  of  carefully  exploring  untrodden  wilds  in  the 
hope  of  making  their  fortunes.  With  such  men  the 
old  saw,  that  the  sea  contains  as  good  fish  as  have 
been  taken  out  of  it,  is  at  once  an  article  of  faith 
and  a  stimulus  to  action.  While  thoroughly  coin 
ciding  in  the  spirit  of  the  saying  they  have  ma 
terially  altered  its  wording.  Instead  of  sea,  they 
read  stream  or  flat  or  mountain  slope,  and  for  fish, 
they  substitute  the  words  golden  dust  or  auriferous 
quartz,  chloride  of  silver  or  argentiferous  stone.  A 
pickaxe  is  their  'open  sesame.'  Wherever  their 
keen  and  skilled  vision  detects  traces  of  mineral, 
there  the  rending  blow  is  struck  and  the  stone 
detached  to  be  tested  by  a  rude  chemistry,  or  sub 
jected  to  the  rapid  and  decisive  scrutiny  of  eyes 
quick  to  discern  and  admire  the  true  ore  and 
trained  to  reject  the  dross.  During  many  months 
of  hard  toil  continued  with  indomitable  vigour,  and 
of  trying  privation  borne  with  unflinching  spirit, 
did  they  prosecute  their  search.  Spring  melted 
into  summer  and  summer  faded  into  autumn  before 
the  prize  was  won.  They  then  satisfied  themselves 
that  what  is  now  known  as  Treasure  Hill  contained 
incalculable  stores  of  precious  minerals.  On  the 


/NEVADA  AND  ITS  SILVER  TREASURES.      209 

10th  of  October  they  assembled  together,  made 
speeches  and  passed  resolutions  whereof  the  gist  is 
contained  in  the  mining  records  of  the  locality. 
The  entry  runs  as  follows  :  '  A  company  of  miners 
met  on  the  'above  day  for  the  purpose  of  forming  a 
district.  Motion  made  and  carried  that  this  district 
be  known  as  White  Pine  District — bounded  on  the 
north  by  the  Red  Hills,  and  running  thence  south 
to  a  point  whence  the  mountains  run  into  a  foot 
hill,  thence  east  twelve  miles,  thence  north,  and 
thence  west  to  the  place  of  beginning.'  The  district 
thus  mapped  out  had  no  attraction  of  scenery  or  site 
to  recommend  it.  The  trees  which  grow  in  the  val 
leys  or  on  the  mountain  sides  are  few  in  number  and 
small  in  size.  Desolation  and  sterility  dominate  the 
landscape.  Nor  is  the  absence  of  beauty  compen 
sated  for  by  balmy  winds  and  genial  skies.  All  the 
year  round  the  air  is  chilly,  while,  during  the  long 
months  of  winter,  storms  rage  with  incredible  fury. 
The  blast  sweeps  along  charged  with  snow,  and  dust, 
and  gravel.  Those  who  suffer  this  ordeal  are  justi 
fied  in  believing  that  the  demons  of  the  storm  have 
chosen  as  their  appropriate  home  the  bleak  and 
barren  mountains  of  Nevada.  A  name  originally 
given  to  a  thick  white  mass  of  cold  vapour  which 
sometimes  veils  the  mountain  tops  and  sometimes 
fills  the  valleys  is  employed  to  characterize  thc^e 


210  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

terrible  storms.  Tell  a  miner  acquainted  with 
Whits  Pine  that  you  have  had  to  face  the  Po- 
go-nip  and  he  will  at  once  know  that  all  your 
powers  of  endurance  have  been  put  to  the  test. 
The  strength  of  the  fascination  produced  by  the 
silver  deposits  at  White  Pine  is  measured  by  the 
fact  that  the  miners  persevere  in  extracting  the 
valued  metal  despite  the  terrors  and  the  trials  of 
the  Po-go-nip. 

Hamilton  City,  Shermantown,  and  Treasure 
City,  are  the  principal  centres  of  business  in  the 
district  of  White  Pine.  Many  other  names  of 
*  cities '  might  be  mentioned,  but  the  ( cities  '  them 
selves  are  names  and  nothing  more.  They  are 
glibly  uttered  by  speculators :  they  figure  in  books 
and  maps  ;  but  the  greenhorn  will  search  for  them 
in  vain.  A  new-comer  desiring  to  learn  some  par 
ticulars  about  a  city,  questioned  a  miner  who,  on 
the  strength  of  a  month's  residence  in  the  neigh 
bourhood,  had  a  claim  to  the  title  of  one  of  the 
oldest  inhabitants,  and  received  the  reply  that  the 
city  ( was  about  as  large  as  New  York,  but  was  not 
built  up  yet.'  Those  which  have  been  '  built  up ' 
are  mere  aggregates  of  miserable  shanties  and  pri 
mitive  tents.  To  construct  a  wooden  dwelling  is 
nearly  as  expensive  here  as  it  is  to  erect  a  marble 
palace  elsewhere.  Treasure  City,  perched  up  near 


NEVADA  AND  ITS  SILVER  TREASUEES.        211 

the  summit  of  Treasure  Hill  at  an  elevation  of  nine 
thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  is  in  close 
proximity  to  one  of  the  richest  of  the  White  Pine 
mines.  This'  is  the  Eberhardt,  which  is  to  White 
Pine  what  the  famous  Gould  and  Curry  is  to 
Virginia  City.  Not  till  the  spring  of  1868  was  it 
vigorously  worked  and  since  then  the  returns  have 
been  prodigious.  Its  value  has  been  rated  at 
millions :  at  one  time  a  purchaser  acquired  it  for 
twenty-five  dollars.  A  trustworthy  writer  has 
given  the  following  sketch  of  the  appearance  of  the 
mine  underground: — f  At  the  door  a  pack  train  of 
Mexican  mules  are  being  loaded  with  the  precious 
ore  for  the  mill  two  miles  to  the  south-west,  and 
two  thousand  feet  lower  down.  In  the  shed  men 
are  busy  at  a  great  pile  of  brown,  blue,  red,  green 
and  black  rock,  breaking  it  to  pieces  and  sorting  it, 
the  richest  being  thrown  aside  for  the  crucible,  and 
the  rest  going  into  the  sacks  to  be  packed  away  to 
the  mill.  There  is  a  princely  fortune  in  this  pile  of 
ore,  which  to  the  uninitiated  -JJQ  is  but  a  heap  of 
broken  rock  fit  only  for  building  walls  or  macada 
mizing  public  streets.  Over  one  of  the  hoisting 
shafts  there  is  a  large  wooden  bucket  with  a  rope 
and  rude  windlass  such  as  you  might  see  on  the 
prospecting  shaft  of  the  poorest  miner.  It  has  served 
for  hoisting  all  this  wealth  to  the  surface.  In  this 


212  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

bucket  we  descended  into  the  mine.  A  long,  narrow 
chamber,  with  dull,  dark  walls,  and  a  few  men  at 
work  with  pick  and  gad,  were  all  that  the  first 
glance  revealed,  and  there  was  a  momentary  feeling 
of  disappointment.  A  closer  inspection  showed  that 
the  walls,  the  ceiling,  the  floor,  were  silver ;  even 
the  very  dust  on  the  floor  was  silver.  This  lump 
will  yield  five  dollars  a  pound,  this  six,  this  seven, 
this  eight,  and  this,  which  will  flatten  like  lead 
under  the  hammer,  is  worth  within  a  fraction  of  ten 
dollars  a  pound.  They  tell  us  that  there  is  a  million 
dollars  worth  of  silver  piled  up  before  our  eyes  in 
this  gloomy  cavern,  and  such  is  indeed  the  fact. '  * 
Keystone,  Aurora,  and  Virginia,  are  the  names  of 
other  productive  mines.  It  is  dangerous,  however, 
to  speak  eulogistically  of  any  mine,  for  before  the 
ink  is  dry  in  which  the  words  arc  written  the  mine's 
reputation  may  have  been  blasted  beyond  redemp 
tion.  To-day  its  richness  is  the  theme  of  every 
tongue  and  the  envy  of  all  who  have  no  share  in  it, 
while  to-morrow  hardly  a  soul  will  deign  to  notice 
the  concern  which,  in  the  slang  of  the  locality,  is 
( played  out '  or  *  busted.'  Not  only  are  the  blanks 
more  numerous  than  the  prizes  in  the  great  lottery 
of  silver  mining,  but  the  prizes  often  become  con 
verted  into  blanks.  The  miner  makes  what  he  calls 

*  Mr.  A.  S.  Evans,  in  Overland  Monthly  for  March,  I860,  p.  279. 


NEVADA  AND  ITS  SILVER  TBEASUEES.         213 

(  a  strike ; '  he  has  found  the  hidden  treasure ;  his 
fortune,  he  now  thinks,  is  made.  Suddenly  he  dis 
covers  that  the  ore  is  (  refractory  '  and  will  not  pay 
to  work,  or  the  lode  which  sparkled  with  metal  first 
becomes  ( disordered '  and  then  disappears.  Mo 
derate  success  will  not  suffice  to  enable  him  to  live 
easily  and  accumulate  wealth.  He  may  work  for 
others  and  receive  ll.  daily  ;  but  this  barely  enables 
him  to  subsist.  In  the  early  days  of  mining  here, 
the  prices  of  the  commonest  articles  were  exor 
bitant,  while  the  sums  charged  for  others  were  pro 
hibitory.  Rich  men  could  alone  afford  to  be  ill,  and 
all  who  fell  ill  were  not  rich.  A  doctor's  fee  would 
have  ransomed  a  captive  out  of  the  hands  of  blood 
thirsty  Greek  brigands.  Laudanum  sold  at  5s.  a 
drop.  A  single  pill  cost  27.  For  extracting  a 
tooth  107.  were  charged.  Even  the  trivial  luxury 
of  a  cup  of  tea  could  not  be  enjoyed  for  less  than 
17.,  while  the  man  who  wished  to  eat  an  egg  had  to 
pay  15s.  for  the  treat.  Competition  has  now  lowered 
prices,  but  there  are  several  things  which  still  com 
mand  comparatively  high  sums.  There  is  no  water 
in  Treasure  City ;  every  drop  consumed  there  has  to 
be  brought  in  barrels  up  the  steep  mountain  side, 
and  a  gallon  costs  as  much  as  a  gallon  of  wine  on 
the  Rhine  or  the  Rhone.  There  is  little  wood  in 
this  district:  a  bundle  of  sticks  costs  one  pound 


214  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

sterling.  "When  these  things  arc  duly  considered, 
it  will  not  seem  strange  that  the  profits  of  those  who 
work  what  are  reputed  to  be  the  richest  mines  should 
be  neither  great  nor  lasting. 

Although  thousands  will  waste  their  substance 
and  their  strength  in  developing  the  silver  mines  of 
Nevada,  yet  the  returns  from  these  mines  will  pro 
bably  suffice  to  double  or  quadruple  the  silver 
bullion  of  the  world.  That  State  has  already  pro 
duced  as  much  silver  as  all  the  mines  of  Peru.  What 
has  been  done  within  the  brief  space  of  a  few  years 
is  but  a  trifle  compared  with  what  may  hereafter  be 
accomplished.  There  are  numerous  mountain  slopes 
and  Canyons  yet  untested  in  which  many  an  Ebcr- 
hardt  mine  may  be  discovered,  or  another  Corn- 
stock  lode  laid  bare.  Nor  of  adventurers  willing 
to  risk  all  on  the  venture  is  there  any  lack.  Per 
haps  the  capitalist  who  is  not  addicted  to  specu 
lations  which  differ  in  name  only  from  staking 
money  on  the  chance  of  a  dice-box,  on  the  roll  of  a 
ball,  or  on  the  colour  of  a  card  drawn  at  random 
from  a  pack,  will  act  wisely  if  he  watch  rather  than 
aid  in  the  developement  of  the  Nevada  mines. 
Those  who  are  on  the  spot  may  effect  a  profitable 
investment :  those  who  are  at  a  distance  must  trust 
to  the  representations  of  others ;  must  rely  upon  the 
reports  of  assaycrs ;  must  believe  that  the  specimens 


NEVADA  AND  ITS  SILVER  TREASURES.       215 

shown  to  them  really  represent  the  character  of 
the  mines  which  they  are  asked  to  purchase.  The 
following  story,  despite  its  exaggeration,  is  fraught 
with  a  useful  moral.  When  new  discoveries  were 
being  made  daily,  the  first  duty  was  to  get  the 
specimens  assayed.  If  the  result  were  encouraging 
the  claim  would  at  once  command  a  high  price. 
One  of  these  assays  was  too  satisfactory.  Accord 
ing  to  the  assayer's  report  the  proportion  of  silver 
in  the  stone  was  rather  more  per  ton  than  if  the 
whole  had  been  solid  silver,  while  it  was  added  that 
gold  to  the  value  of  39  dollars  was  also  contained 
in  it.  e  Considering  that  the  specimen  assayed  was 
a  fragment  of  a  grindstone,  the  effort  of  the  assayer 
was  terrific.' 


216  WESTWARD  LY  EAIL, 


XVII. 

ACROSS  THE  SIERRA  XEFADAS. 

Foil  200  miles  to  the  west  of  Elko  the  scenery  con 
tinued  to  be  monotonous,  consisting  of  wide  barren 
plains  bordered  by  mountain  slopes.  The  Humboldt 
river,  with  its  banks  fringed  with  shrubs  and  plants, 
and  the  land  for  some  distance  on  either  side  afford 
ing  grazing  ground  for  herds  of  cattle,  alone  gave 
a  slight  variety  to .  the  scene.  Now  and  then  a 
prairie  wolf  slunk  aside  as  the  passing  train  startled 
it  from  its  lair.  More  than  one  rude  monument 
was  pointed  out  to  me  as  indicating  the  spot  where 
a  foul  murder  had  been  perpetrated  or  a  bloody 
combat  had  been  waged.  It  was  in  this  locality 
that  the  Indians  made  a  savage  onslaught  on  those 
engaged  in  constructing  the  line,  murdering,  scalp 
ing,  and  plundering  several  white  men.  Some 
Indians  were  among  the  passengers  by  this  train. 
I  was  told  that  they  are  carried  gratis.  In  return 
they  sometimes  help  to  heap  wood  on  the  tender 
at  the  appointed  stopping-places.  They  were  Sho- 
shoncs,  and  were  said  to  be  very  peaceable.  With 


ACEOSS  THE  SIERRA  NEVADAS.  217 

their  vermilion-stained  cheeks,  their  lank  black  hair, 
their  low  foreheads,  prominent  noses,  and  sensual 
mouths,  and  an  expression  akin  to  the  expression  of 
a  brute  rather  than  that  of  a  human  being,  they 
were  as  unprepossessing  looking  mortals  as  ever 
were  seen  in  reality,  while  the  very  reverse  of  the 
Indians  depicted  in  works  of  fiction.  Indeed,  the 
contrast  was  equivalent  to  a  revolution  between  the 
doings  of  Eagle  Eye,  Little  Hawk,  South  West 
Wind,  and  other  warriors,  now  that  they  heaved 
billets  of  wood  on  the  tender  and  when  they  scoured 
these  plains  with  a  view  to  achieve  some  deed  of 
daring,  and  with  a  dislike  deemed  insuperable  to 
perform  anything  that  was  simply  useful.  None  of 
them  had  any  scruples  about  asking  and  accepting 
alms.  The  squaws,  who  were  far  more  hideous 
than  the  men,  and  the  children,  who  were  both  ugly 
and  naked,  pestered  the  passengers  for  money  or 
eatables.  It  was  the  rare  exception  for  them  to 
have  anything  to  sell. 

An  American  train  resembles  a  steamer  in  this, 
that  all  the  passengers  are  thrown  together  in  a  way 
which  is  impossible  when  they  are  cooped  up  in 
compartments  as  on  an  English  railway.  Every 
carriage  communicates  in  such  a  way  that  it  is  pos 
sible  at  any  moment  to  enjoy  a  welcome  change 
by  walking  from  end  to  end  of  the  train.  In  my 


218  WESTWARD  BY  I? AIL. 

car  there  were  several  Californians  on  their  way 
home  after  a  visit  to  their  native  places  in  the 
Eastern  States.  One  of  them  had  several  bottles  of 
choice  old  Bourbon  whisky  with  him,  and  he  was 
persistent  in  asking  his  acquaintances  to  ' take  a 
drink.'  The  whisky  bottle  was  produced  as  early 
as  six  in  the  morning,  and  was  passed  from  hand  to 
hand  at  short  intervals  till  the  hour  came  for  going 
to  bed.  The  number  of  drinks  must  not  be  taken 
as  a  criterion  of  the  extent  of  drunkenness.  A  sip 
of  liquor  constitutes  a  drink.  It  is  the  form  rather 
than  the  effect  which  seems  to  give  pleasure.  The 
"Westerners  and  Californians  hold  that,  not  to  drink 
at  all  is  the  mark  of  a  milksop,  while  to  drink  too 
much  demonstrates  a  fool.  One  passenger  could 
hold  his  own  with  most  men  of  his  years  in  drinking, 
smoking,  shooting,  and  driving  a  bargain.  He  told 
some  stories,  which  I  should  hardly  have  credited 
had  they  not  been  confirmed  by  independent  and 
impartial  testimony.  He  was  thirty  years  old,  and 
had  seen  more  of  life  in  all  its  aspects  than  many 
bold  adventurers  of  double  his  age.  More  than  one 
fortune  he  had  made  and  squandered.  He  was 
now  bound  for  California,  with  150  dollars  in  his 
pocket,  determined  to  enrich  himself  again.  Every 
thing  by  turns  he  had  essayed ;  among  others,  the 
business  of  an  auctioneer  in  Salt  Lake  City. 


ACROSS  THE  SIERRA  NEVADAS. .  219 

During  four  years  he  had  driven  a  roaring  trade 
amonsr  the  Mormons  by  selling  to  them  at  h]*2;h 

o  »/  o  o 

prices  the  second-hand  and  old-fashioned  silks  and 
satins  disdained  by  the  fashionable  world  elsewhere. 
Although  a  Gentile,  he  yet  had  succeeded  in  gain 
ing  the  good  graces  and  pocketing  the  spare  cash 
of  the  Mormons.  Judicious  bribery  and  judicious 
reticence  had  commended  him  to  the  leaders  among 
the  Saints.  Yet,  while  keeping  his  mouth  shut, 
he  did  not  shut  his  eyes  also.  Many  examples  of 
Mormon  cruelty  and  tyranny  had  been  witnessed 
by  him,  and  these  he  detailed  in  a  way  which 
chilled  the  listener's  blood.  Another  American, 
who  had  come  from  a  two  months'  residence  at  Salt 
Lake  City,  was  brimful  of  stories  similar  in  kind. 
To  their  tales  I  attributed  the  greater  credit,  be 
cause  they  tallied  in  the  main  with  what  I  had 
learned  from  personal  observation*  of  the  practical 
working  of  Mormonism  in  the  valley  of  the  Great 
Salt  Lake.  It  is  noteworthy  that  no  American  who 
has  visited  Utah  is  a  defender  of  the  system  in 
operation  there.  They  all  regard  the  Mormons  as 
unworthy  and  dangerous  citizens.  The  opinion 
seems  universal  that  Congress  must  speedily  legis 
late  for  Mormonism,  not  as  a  peculiar  system  of 
religion,  but  as  a  permanent  conspiracy  against 
equality  and  the  impartial  administration  of  justice. 


220  WESTWARD  EY  KAIL. 

Towards  morning  there  was  a  commotion  among 
the  passengers.  A  sudden  shock  roused  all  from 
their  slumbers.  Many  were  greatly  frightened,  but 
no  one  was  seriously  hurt.  A  severe  shaking  was 
the  only  result  of  what  proved  to  be  a  collision 
with  a  herd  of  cattle.  The  engine  and  tender  had 
boen  thrown  off  the  rails.  Two  oxen  were  crushed 
to  death.  Fortunately,  the  ground  on  either  side 
was  level ;  had  the  accident  taken  place  farther  on, 
where  the  embankment  was  very  steep,  the  con 
sequences  might  have  been  disastrous.  As  it  was, 
a  detention  of  eight  hours  between  Wadsworth  and 
darks'  Station  and  the  loss  of  breakfast  were  the 
only  sufferings  to  be  borne.  Before  many  minutes 
had  elapsed  energetic  steps  were  taken  to  replace 
the  engine  on  the  rails.  The  necessary  appliances 
were  at  hand,  and  were  put  to  their  respective  uses. 
This  was  not  the  only  proof  of  the  completeness 
of  the  arrangements  for  such  a  contingency.  A 
telegraph  clerk  was  in  the  train,  and  he  had  an 
instrument  for  tapping  the  wires.  In  the  course  of 
a  few  minutes  the  requisite  connections  were  made, 
and  messages  were  telegraphed  to  the  stations  East 
and  West.  An  hour  did  not  pass  away  before 
two  locomotives  were  on  the  spot.  What  was  still 
more  important,  the  passage  of  trains  over  the  line 
was  stopped.  As  the  line  is  a  single  one,  the 


ACROSS  THE  SIERRA  NEVADAS.  221 

timely  warning  thus  given  by  telegraph  doubtless 
helped  to  avert  the  danger  of  other  collisions. 
Some  passengers  were  indisposed  to  forego  their 
breakfasts  without  an  effort  to  provide  a  substitute. 
There  was  plenty  of  beef  alongside  the  line,  and 
the  sage-brush  could  be  used  for  fuel.  What  more 
natural  then,  they  argued,  than  to  light  a  fire  and 
cook  a  steak  ?  The  sage-brush  was  soon  in  a  blaze, 
but  the  meat  could  not  be  procured  with  equal 
rapidity.  Cutting  through  an  ox  hide  and  carving 
out  a  steak  with  a  pen-knife  was  a  task  which 
baffled  the  passenger  who  made  the  attempt. 
While  the  ineffectual  endeavour  was  being  made, 
the  fire  threatened  to  produce  serious  consequences. 
The  flames  rushed  along  in  the  direction  of  the 
telegraph  posts  and  the  cars.  A  German  gentle 
man  of  greater  pluck  than  prudence  had  ignited 
the  sage-brush,  and  he  became  ludicrously  alarmed 
at  the  results  of  his  act.  He  rushed  about  in 
frantic  consternation,  making  energetic  attempts  to 
stamp  out  the  flames.  His  vigour  in  undoing  the 
mischief  he  had  caused,  led  to  the  scorching  and 
permanent  injury  of  his  boots  and  trousers. 

Eight  hours  after  the  collision  had  occurred,  the 
engine  was  replaced  on  the  rails  and  the  train  was 
put  in  motion  again.  Not  long  afterwards  the  base 
of  the  Sierra  Nevada  range  was  reached,  and  the 


222  WESTWARD  BY  KAIL. 

wearying  sight  of  plains  covered  -with  alkali  and 
sage-brush  was  exchanged  for  picturesque  views  of 
mountain  slopes,  adorned  with  branching  pine  trees, 
and  diversified  with  foaming  torrents.  ^  This  was  a 
gratifying  relief,  as  well  as  a  fascinating  prospect. 
An  anecdote  is  told  of  a  lumber-man,  who  jour 
neyed  from  his  native  State  of  Maine  to  seek  his 
fortune  in  the  State  of  California.  He  was  ex 
tremely  taciturn  and  depressed  in  spirits  during  the 
journey  across  the  plains.  When  these  mountains 
came  in  sight,  and  his  eyes  rested  upon  the  familiar 
pine  trees,  he  gazed  earnestly  for  a  moment,  then, 
rising  to  his  feet,  exclaimed,  *  Thank  God,  I  smell 
pitch  once  more ;  '  and  then,  sinking  back  into  his 
seat,  he  wept  for  joy. 

Reno  is  the  last  halting  place  of  importance 
during  the  "Westward  journey  through  the  State  of 
Nevada.  It  is  within  a  few  miles  of  Virginia  City, 
the  headquarters  of  the  miners  who  work  the 
numerous  silver  and  gold  mines  in  this  district. 
Here,  as  at  other  similar  places,  a  large  number  of 
passengers  left  the  train  and  a  new  set  entered  it. 
The  amount  of  the  local  passenger  traffic  was  far  in 
excess  of  my  expectations.  Indeed,  the  proportion 
of  through  passengers  is  very  small  when  compared 
with  the  number  journeying  from  one  intermediate 
station  to  another.  Near  Boca,  which  is  127  miles 


ACEOSS  THE  SIERRA  NEVADAS.  223 

distant  from  Sacramento,  the  line  crosses  the 
boundary  that  separates  the  State  of  Nevada  from 
the  State  of  California.  The  Californians  rejoiced 
when  the  train  entered  their  State,  and  spoke  with 
pleasure  about  soon  basking  in  the  sunshine  which 
has  made  the  Pacific  slope  a  modern  Garden  of 
Eden.  The  ascent  now  becomes  very  steep,  and 
two  engines  are  employed  to  drag  the  train.  At 
short  intervals  there  are  strong  wooden  sheds  of 
about  a  thousand  feet  long,  erected  to  guard  the 
line  against  destruction  from  what  we  call  ava 
lanches,  and  what  here  are  called  e  snow  slides.* 
Indeed,  these  sheds  are  very  much  like  tunnels. 
They  have  been  constructed  at  a  vast  expense,  and 
in  a  solid  manner.  It  has  yet  to  be  seen  how  far 
they  will  subserve  their  purpose.  They  have  the 
drawback  of  interrupting  the  view  of  some  of  the 
most  romantic  scenery  on  the  line.  The  glimpses 
one  gets  are  just  sufficient  to  tantalise  and  not 
prolonged  enough  to  satisfy.  The  view  of  Donner 
Lake  is  the  most  charming  of  them  all.  This  lake 
is  picturesquely  situated  in  a  gorge  of  the  Sierras. 
It  was  once  the  theatre  of  a  terrible  tragedy.  An 
emigrant  party,  travelling  to  California  in  1846, 
was  overtaken  by  the  snow  within  eight  miles  of 
Donner  Lake.  The  party,  which  was  composed  of 
men,  women,  and  children,  numbered  eighty  in  all. 


224  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

They  were  blocked  in  by  snow  drifts  and  were 
compelled  to  encamp  and  wait  for  the  return  of 
spring.  Long  before  the  winter  was  over  and  gone, 
their  stock  of  provisions  was  exhausted,  the  cattle 
had  all  been  killed  and  eaten  and  even  the  hides 
had  been  devoured  by  the  half  famished  party. 
Then  came  the  bitter  struggle  between  absolute 
starvation  and  a  resort  to  cannibalism.  The  desire 
to  live  triumphed  over  every  other  consideration 
and  the  bodies  of  the  dead  became  the  sustenance 
of  the  survivors.  While  this  horrible  tragedy  was 
being  enacted,  an  event  happened  which  has  given 
rise  to  much  speculation  among  the  believers  in 
supernatural  occurrences.  A  hunter  named  Blount 
living  in  California  beheld  in  a  dream  the  situa 
tion  and  condition  of  the  suffering  party.  The 
impression  made  on  him  was  so  intense  that  he 
mentioned  the  circumstance  to  other  hunters  who 
were  well  acquainted  with  the  region  around  Don- 
ner  Lake.  They  told  him  that  his  description 
tallied  with  the  reality.  This  intelligence  had  the 
effect  of  making  him  resolve  upon  doing  what  he 
could  to  rescue  the  sno^7-bound  emigrants.  Being 
joined  by  others  he  went  to  their  rescue  and  had 
the  satisfaction  of  saving  nearly  thirty  out  of  the 
eighty.  The  survivors  were  frostbitten  and  crip 
pled  ;  but  their  physical  condition  was  less  deplor- 


ACROSS  THE  SIERRA  NEVADAS.  225 

able  than  their  mental  state.  They  had  lived  upon 
human  flesh  till  they  acquired  a  liking  for  it.  One 
of  them  was  detected  smeared  with  blood  and  fur 
tively  roasting  a  woman's  arm,  after  the  supply  of 
other  food  was  ample.  Such  a  story  furnishes 
confirmation  of  the  saying  that  truth  outstrips  fic 
tion.  It  is  more  puzzling  and  revolting  than  any 
which  the  modern  writer  of  sensational  novels 
has  yet  produced  for  the  gratification  of  depraved 
tastes. 

Summit  Station,  though  the  highest  point  on  this 
line,  is  not  so  high  as  Sherman  Station  on  the 
Union  Pacific.  It  is  7,042  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  sea.  This  represents  not  the  altitude  of  the 
Sierra  Nevada  range,  but  only  the  elevation  of  this 
mountain  pass.  Above  the  station  the  peaks  of  the 
mountains  tower  cloudwards.  The  scene  is  one  of 
unprecedented  grandeur.  Owing  to  the  delay 
caused  by  the  accident  I  have  described,  the  speed 
of  the  train  had  been  increased.  The  engine-driver 
had  been  running  extra  risks  in  order,  as  the  Ame 
ricans  phrase  it,  to  f  make  time,'  so  as  to  arrive  (  on 
time.'  The  descent  was  thus  made  with  exceptional 
rapidity.  From  Summit  Station  to  Sacramento  the 
distance  is  105  miles.  Between  these  places  the 
descent  from  a  height  nearly  half  as  great  as  that  of 
Mont  Blanc  to  fifty-six  feet  above  the  sea  level  has 


226  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

to  be  made.  The  velocity  with  which  the  train 
rushed  down  this  incline,  and  the  suddenness  with 
which  it  wheeled  round  the  curves,  produced  a 
sensation  which  cannot  be  reproduced  in  words. 
The  line  is  carried  along  the  edge  of  declivities 
stretching  downwards  for  two  or  three  thousand 
feet,  and  in  some  parts  on  a  narrow  ledge  which  had 
been  excavated  from  the  mountain  side  by  men 
swung  from  the  upper  parts  in  baskets.  The  speed 
under  these  circumstances  seemed  terrific.  The 
axle-boxes  smoked  with  the  friction,  and  the  odour 
of  burning  wood  pervaded  the  cars.  The  wheels 
were  nearly  red  hot.  In  the  darkness  of  the  night 
they  resembled  discs  of  flame.  Glad  though  all 
were  to  reach  Sacramento,  not  a  few  were  specially 
thankful  to  have  reached  it  with  whole  limbs  and 
unbruised  bodies. 

The  charm  of  the  last  few  hours  is  indescribable. 
It  owed  its  effect  to  the  striking  contrast  between 
the  experience  of  the  past  and  the  pleasure  of  the 
moment.  To  nothing  can  it  so  aptly  be  compared 
as  to  that  impressive  passage  in  the  inspired  vision 
of  the  great  Italian  poet  which  tells  how,  after 
having  painfully  traversed  the  circles  of  Hell,  he  at 
last  entered  the  '  dolorous  realm '  ribbed  in  ever 
lasting  ice,  then  issuing  forth  through  an  outlet,  he 
returned  to  the  '  bright  world,'  beheld  the  beauteous 


ACROSS  THE  SIEEEA  NEVADAS.  227 

sights  of  Heaven,  and  saw  the  stars  again.*  But  a 
few  hours  ago  we  were  passing  through  a  region  in 
which  desolation  reigned  supreme  ;  a  region  of  sage 
brush  and  alkali  dust,  of  bitter  water  and  unkindly 
skies.  Still  more  recently  the  icy  winds  of  the 
snow-crowned  Sierras  had  chilled  us  to  the  bone. 
The  transition  was  sudden  and  the  transformation 
magical.  The  sun  descended  in  a  flood  of  glory 
towards  the  Pacific  Ocean,  while  the  train  was 
spinning  down  the  ringing  grooves  of  the  mountains. 
The  canopy  of  azure  overhead,  unflecked  by  a  cloud 
and  spangled  with  myriads  of  brilliant  stars,  sur 
passed  in  loveliness  the  brightest  and  most  serene 
sky  which  ever  enchanted  the  dweller  on  the 
luxuriant  shores  of  the  blue  Mediterranean.  No 
Italian  air  was  ever  more  balmy,  nor  evening  breeze 
through  vineyard  or  olive  grove  more  grateful  to 
the  senses  than  the  soft  wind  which,  tempered  by 
the  coolness  of  the  distant  ocean  and  odorous  with 
the  rich  perfumes  of  the  neighbouring  plains,  now 
fanned  our  cheeks  and  gave  a  fresh  zest  to  life. 
The  journey  is  not  yet  over.  San  Francisco  is  still 
upwards  of  a  hundred  miles  to  the  west.  But  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  the  American  Desert,  and  the 

*      *  Tanto  ch'  io  vidi  delle  cose  belle, 

Che  porta  il  Ciel,  per  tin  pertugio  tondo : 
E  quindi  uscimmo  a  riveder  le  stelle.' 

Inferno,  canto  xxxiv.  lines  137-9. 
11 


228  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

Sierra  Nevadas  are  far  behind  us  and  a  new 
country  is  before  our  eyes.  That  the  Golden  State 
is  one  of  extraordinary  richness  is  well  known  to 
every  traveller.  To  some,  however,  as  to  me,  it 
may  have  been  a  matter  for  rejoicing  to  discover 
that  California  is  also  a  land  teeming  with  unex 
pected  natural  beauties  and  rare  natural  delights. 


229 


XVIII. 

2 HE  CAPITAL  OF  THE  GOLDEN  STATE. 

THE  passengers  by  the  train  in  which  I  journeyed 
across  the  continent  of  America  ( missed  connec 
tions '  at  Sacramento.  This  is  the  American  way 
of  stating  that  the  train  which  arrived  did  not  cor 
respond  with  that  which  departed.  The  accident 
which  I  have  described  was  the  cause  of  this.  Had 
the  train  been  punctual  the  passengers  need  not 
have  rested  for  the  night  at  Sacramento,  as  they 
might  have  continued  their  journey  without  pause 
till  San  Francisco  was  reached.  However,  they 
had  no  choice.  For  better  or  worse  a  night  had  to 
be  passed  at  Sacramento,  the  capital  of  the  State  of 
California,  and  125  miles  distant  from  the  chief  and 
most  notable  city  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  For  my 
own  part  I  had  intended  to  stop  here  on  the  way 
Westward,  in  order  to  see  something  of  the  most 
remarkable  among  the  cities  of  California. 

My  first  personal   experience   of  a  California!! 
hotel  was  partly  a  severe  trial  and  partly  a  new 


230  WESTWARD  BY  HAIL. 

pleasure.  The  trial  consisted  in  the  demands  made 
upon  ine  by  hospitable  acquaintances  ;  the  pleasure 
in  practically  learning  how  persistent  and  expansive 
was  Californian  good-fellowship.  I  accompanied 
my  travelling  acquaintances  to  the  hotel  for  which 
they  vouched.  One  of  them  had  been  a  member  of 
the  Legislature  of  California,  and  was  consequently 
well  acquainted  with  Sacramento,  the  seat  of  ( the 
legislature  of  a  thousand  drinks.'  A  few  minutes 
after  my  companions  and  myself  had  inscribed  our 
names  in  the  hotel-register  it  was  proposed  that 
we  should  f  take  a  drink.'  This  proposition  was 
received  with  general  approval.  As  a  stranger,  I 
could  neither  object  with  good  reason  nor  retire 
with  courtesy.  The  (  drink  '  was  duly  enjoyed  by 
the  several  members  of  the  party.  Hardly  was  the 
libation  at  an  end  than  the  friend  of  one  of  those 
present  made  his  appearance.  After  a  hearty 
greeting  to  his  friend,  the  ceremony  of  introducing 
those  who  were  strangers  to  him  was  performed 
with  the  accustomed  solemnities.  Then  followed 
the  invitation,  (  Let  us  take  a  drink.'  Again  were 
healths  pledged  and  glasses  emptied  at  the  hotel 
bar.  The  gratification  was  slightly  diminished  this 
time,  seeing  that  the  night  was  advancing,  and  the 
hour  for  supper  was  nigh.  But  remonstrance  was 
useless,  and  would  have  been  regarded  as  unsocial. 


THE  CAPITAL  OF  THE  GOLDEN  STATE.       231 

Under  these  circumstances  cheerful  submission  is 
more  commendable  and  wise  than  flat  refusal  and 
unmannerly  opposition.  But  a  third  and  greater 
trial  was  at  hand.  Fresh  introductions  were  made, 
and  new  invitations  to  take  a  drink  were  proffered., 
With  as  good  a  grace  as  I  could  command,  I  sub 
mitted  to  an  ordeal  which  wras  now  becoming  serious 
and  unpleasant.  Happily,  the  end  to  the  trying 
and  novel  welcome  had  arrived.  Each  one  was 
now  permitted  to  go  his  own  way  and  make  his  own 
arrangements. 

In  no  respect  was  my  experience  exceptional. 
The  custom  of  the  country  is  to  drink  as  often  as 
possible.  The  bar-keepers  ingeniously  speculate 
on  this  predilection  of  their  fellow-citizens.  It  is 
common  to  find  a  '  free  lunch  '  and  a  free  supper 
provided  in  the  more  important  Californian  bar 
rooms.  Any  one  may  walk  in  and  take  luncheon 
or  supper  gratis.  He  has  several  courses  from 
which  to  choose,  or  he  may  take  a  portion  of  each. 
Soup,  fish,  made-dishes,  joints,  and  vegetables,  are 
on  the  bill  of  fare  of  a  *  free  lunch.'  At  the  free 
supper  the  variety  is  equally  great.  In  both  cases 
the  viands  are  good  in  quality,  are  well  cooked,  and 
are  served  by  attentive  waiters.  Although  no 
charge  is  made,  yet  it  is  understood  that  every  one 
who  partakes  of  either  meal  must  take  a  drink 


232  WESTWARD  EY  RAIL. 

afterwards.  He  need  not  tal^e  more  than  one,  nor 
pay  more  for  this  than  a  quarter  of  a  dollar — that 
is,  one  shilling.  This  is  the  price  charged  for  all 
drinks,  from  a  glass  of  lemonade  to  a  glass  of  cham 
pagne.  The  most  common  drink  is  f  whisky 
straight,'  in  other  words,  raw  whisky.  Each  person 
helps  himself  from  a  bottle  presented  to  him.  Not 
merely  is  the  quantity  taken  very  trifling,  seldom 
exceeding  the  contents  of  a  liqueur  glass,  but  a 
small  tumblerful  of  iced  water  is  always  handed  by 
the  bar-keeper  along  with  the  bottle  and  glass,  and 
is  generally  sent  after  the  whisky  by  the  drinker. 
It  is  the  small  portion  taken  and  this  subsequent 
draught  of  water  which  enables  the  operation  to  be 
lepeated  very  frequently  without  inebriety  being 
produced.  Probably  the  climate  has  something  to 
do  with  the  result.  This  is  the  general  belief. 
Whatever  be  the  explanation,  I  entertain  no  doubt 
as  to  the  fact  that  in  California  there  is  less 
drunkenness  in  proportion  to  the  amount  of  drink 
ing  than  in  any  other  State  in  the  Union,  or  in  any 
place  of  corresponding  size  and  population  in  the 
world. 

As  a  city,  Sacramento  is  less  remarkable  for  what 
it  is  than  for  what  it  has  survived.  The  conduct  of 
the  inhabitants  of  Salt  Lake  City  is  often  cited  as 
illustrative  of  an  energy  almost  miraculous,  of  a 


THE  CAPITAL  OF  THE  GOLDEN  STATE.       233 

faith  almost  unparalleled.  But  the  trials  of  the 
Saints,  though  grievous,  and  their  triumphs,  though 
meritorious  and  laudable,  have  neither  surpassed, 
nor  do  they  merit  more  eulogy  than  those  of  the  in 
habitants  of  Sacramento.  More  than  once  fires  and 
floods  have  destroyed  their  city  and  impoverished 
them.  Yet  the  citizens  never  lost  heart  along  with 
their  fortunes.  They  re-built  their  ruined  dwell 
ings  ;  the  devastated  streets  they  re-made.  On 
each  occasion  their  city  became  more  beautiful  in 
appearance  and  more  commodious  in  fact.  At 
present  the  entire  city  is  in  process  of  transforma 
tion.  All  previous  efforts  having  proved  futile  to 
protect  the  locality  from  inundation  when  the  rains 
flooded  the  surrounding  plains  and  the  snow  melted 
in  the  distant  mountains,  a  new  and  more  venture 
some  course  was  resolved  upon,  and  has  since  been 
pursued.  The  expenditure  of  capital  upon  embank 
ments  was  suspended,  and  the  elevation  of  the  city 
to  a  height  ten  feet  above  its  original  level  was 
begun.  The  immediate  result  is  neither  picturesque 
in  appearance,  nor  agreeable  in  reality.  Some  of 
the  streets  have  been  entirely  raised  to  the  pro 
jected  level.  Others  are  in  course  of  being  elevated 
to  a  corresponding  height.  For  these  reasons  a 
walk  along  the  pavement,  if  prolonged  for  some 
distance,  means  the  ascent  and  descent  of  sudden 


234  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

slopes.  I  have  used  the  word  pavement,  but  this  is 
a  misnomer  here,  there  being  nothing  which  pre 
cisely  tallies  with  the  word  as  used  by  us.  In  this 
case  the  American  term  '  side-walk  '  is  at  once  ap 
plicable  and  correct.  That  part  of  the  street  which 
would  be  covered  with  paving-stones  in  an  English 
city  or  town  is  often  composed  of  wooden  planking 
in  the  towns  and  cities  of  America.  In  the  Far 
West,  where  wood  is  often  cheaper  than  stone, 
wood  naturally  gets  the  preference.  When  the 
rain  does  not  fall,  and  where  snow  is  unknown,  this 
wooden  pavement  is  unobjectionable.  In  Sacra 
mento  it  is  employed  under  the  most  favourable 
conditions.  A  projecting  roof  springing  from  the 
sides  of  the  houses  overshadows  and  shelters  the 
pavement.  Thus  a  sort  of  arcade  is  formed,  an 
arcade  quite  as  effective,  and  far  less  gloomy,  than 
the  arcades  which  are  peculiar  to  Turin  and  Bayonne. 
Although  I  have  said  so  much  about  wooden 
pavement,  I  am  yet  far  from  wishing  it  to  be  sup 
posed  that  Sacramento  is  chiefly  a  city  filled  with 
unsubstantial  and  temporary  wooden  structures. 
Some  of  the  houses  and  shops  are  built  of  wood, 
but  the  majority  of  the  shops  and  dwellings  are 
constructed  of  brick,  or  stone,  or  iron.  Many  of 
the  more  recent  erections  are  both  ornamental  and 
solid  in  appearance  and  character.  The  number  of 


THE  CAPITAL  OF  THE  GOLDEN  STATE.       235 

buildings  now  being  erected  affords  unmistakeable 
evidence  that  Sacramento  is  a  prosperous  and  rising 
city.  To  it,  more  than  to  almost  any  other  Cali- 
fornian  city,  the  opening  of  the  Pacific  Railway  has 
imparted  a  new  and  a  vigorous  life.  It  was  here 
that  the  first  advocates  of  this  railway  dwelt,  and 
planned,  and  toiled.  Their  energy  materially 
helped  to  arouse  their  countrymen  to  energetic 
efforts  in  furtherance  of  the  grand  and  ambitious 
project.  At  the  period  of  my  visit  a  banquet  was  held 
to  celebrate  the  successful  completion  of  the  scheme. 
The  speakers  on  that  occasion  had  no  hesitation 
in  appropriating  to  themselves,  their  fellow-citizens, 
their  city,  and  their  State,  the  major  share  of  the 
credit  for  what  had  been  accomplished.  A  few  short 
extracts  from  the  speeches  delivered  on  this  occa 
sion  may  not  only  prove  interesting,  but  will  serve 
the  purpose  of  showing  the  style  of  Californian 
oratory,  and  displaying  the  tone  which  the  citizens 
of  Sacramento  adopt  when  their  own  affairs  and 
those  of  other  persons  are  under  discussion.  In 
response  to  the  toast,  f  California,  a  young  giant 
refreshed  with  new  wine,'  Lieutenant-Governor 
Holden  said,  (  Suffice  it  for  me  to  say  that  our  skies 
vie  in  beauty  with  those  of  far-famed  Italy ;  our 
valleys  surpass  in  richness  the  famous  Valley  of  the 
Nile ;  our  plains  in  productiveness  the  sunny  plains 


236  WESTWARD  BY  HAIL. 

of  France ;  our  Sierra  Nevadas,  for  beauty  and 
grandeur  of  scenery,  surpass  those  of  the  mountains 
of  Switzerland.  Who  would  not  be  a  Californian  ?  , 
Why,  sir,  we  have  the  bravest  men,  the  handsomest 
women,  and  the  fattest  babies  of  any  place  under 
the  canopy  of  heaven.'  A  passage  in  another 
speech  I  copy  in  order  to  show  that  the  bravest' 
men  may  blunder  when  indulging  in  the  luxury  of 
quotation  after  dinner.  The  toast  proposed  was 
the  health  of  Admiral  Farragut.  The  speaker,  a 
Mr.  Curtis,  told  his  audience  that  the  admiral  was 
well  qualified  for  practically  inculcating  the  lesson 
first  imparted  to  England  by  the  gallant  Perry, 
who,  on  the  North-Western  Lakes, ( met  the  enemy 
and  taught  them  another  motto  than  the  one  they 
had  so  long  cherished  that : 

'  Britannia  needs  no  bulwarks 
To  frown  along  the  steep ; 
Her  love  is  on  the  mountain  wave, 
Her  march  is  o'er  the  deep.'  * 

This  original  and  novel  version  of  an  old  song  was 
accepted  by  the  company  as  correct,  and  was  not 

*  It  may  be  uecful  to  give,  as  a  contrast  to  the  version  of  Mr. 
Curtis,  the  original  by  Thomas  Campbell : — 

'  Britannia  needs  no  bulwarks, 
No  towers  along  the  steep  ; 
Her  march  is  o'er  the  mountain-waves, 
Her  home  is  on  the  deep.' 


THE  CAPITAL  OF  TI1E  GOLDEN  STATE.       237 

rejected  by  the  newspapers  as  inaccurate.  Indeed, 
the  State  Capital  Reporter,  in  which  I  read  these 
speeches,  headed  the  report  with  an  introduction 
wherein  the  ability  which  its  reporters  had  dis 
played  in  furnishing  a  trustworthy  version  of  the 
several  speeches  was  singled  out  for  special  com 
mendation.  The  last  extract  I  shall  give  relates 
to  a  topic  in  which  the  speaker  was  more  at  home  : 
— ( Mr.  Chairman, — It  is  not  necessary  that  anyone 
should  speak  for  Sacramento.  I  am  no  speaker, 
but  Sacramento  requires  no  speaker.  There  was  a 
time,  in  the  long  ago  of  her  history,  when  every 
son  of  Sacramento  was  required  to  work,  and  act, 
and  speak  for  her.  But,  thank  God,  that  day  has 
gone  by ;  the  wheel  of  time  rolled  on  with  a  velo 
city  that  amazed  and  entranced,  while  it  cheered 
and  gladdened.  The  devastation  of  fire  and  flood 
swept  over  her,  but  she  arose,  Phoenix-like,  from 
her  ashes,  and  the  heart  of  every  Sacramentan  wells 
up  with  joy  and  gladness  at  the  brilliant  prospect 
of  her  future.  The  beautiful  City  of  the  Plains, 
nestling  in  her  grandeur  in  the  bosom  of  the  valley, 
coquetting  with  the  mountains  and  smiling  on  the 
sea,  robed  in  Republican  simplicity,  modest  and 
unpretending,  constantly  growing  in  wealth  and 
importance,  cultivating  a  pure  and  enlightened 
Christian  civilization,  has  attained  a  proud  position 


238  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

among  the  cities  of  the  Union.  With  her  elements 
of  greatness  and  grandeur,  her  gallant  sons,  her 
working  men,  her  cosy  cottages,  her  stately  man 
sions,  her  happy  homes,  her  lovely  daughters,  her 
comely  matrons,  her  churches  and  public  schools, 
her  looms  and  anvils,  her  mechanics  and  artizans, 
all  speak  in  eloquent  and  thrilling  tones  of  her 
present  importance  and  future  greatness.  Her 
swift  coursers  of  internal  trade,  whizzing  through 
valley  and  canyon,  over  hill-top  and  mountain, 
rousing  dreamy  nature,  and  awakening  glad  echoes 
all  over  the  land;  all — all  attest  her  enterprise, 
and  proclaim  her  the  Queen  of  the  Golden  State.' 
This  luxuriant  rhetoric  is  temptingly  open  to  criti 
cism  ;  but  to  criticise  is  not  my  business  at  present. 
Yet  I  may  note  in  passing  that  the  ridicule  which 
it  was  thought  had  sufficed  to  finally  extinguish 
the  Phoenix,  has  simply  had  the  effect  of  compelling 
that  miraculous  bird  to  migrate  to  the  Pacific  Slope, 
there  to  prove  serviceable  to  orators  who  use  me 
taphor  to  conceal  their  lack  of  wit.  Certainly, 
nothing  that  I  have  yet  said,  or  may  hereafter  say, 
in  praise  of  Sacramento  will  be  thought  worthy  of 
attention  alongside  of  this  glowing  picture.  While 
it  was  still  vividly  imprinted  on  my  mind,  it  was  a 
shock  to  read  on  a  placard  in  the  streets — 'We 
should  all  vote  against  Negro  and  Chinese  suffrage.' 


THE  CAPITAL  OF  THE  GOLDEN  STATE.       239 

These  words  do  not  represent  the  utterances  of  a 
knot  of  foolish  and  shortsighted  politicians ;  if  that 
were  the  case  it  would  be  unfair  to  cite  them.  Un 
happily,  they  express  the  opinions  of  the  majority 
in  this  State;  they  form  the  watchword  of  the 
political  party  which  has  won  the  victory  at  the 
polls.  In  this  city  the  Chinese  constitute  a  con 
siderable  proportion  of  the  inhabitants.  They  are 
the  most  hard  working  among  the  labourers  who 
earn  their  daily  bread  by  their  daily  toil.  They 
are  to  be  seen  in  every  street  bearing  heavy 
burdens  suspended  from  the  two  ends  of  a  pole, 
which  rests  on  one  of  their  shoulders.  They  act 
as  waiters ;  they  are  the  most  conscientious  of  shoe 
blacks.  Sign-boards  over  small  shops  announce 
that  within  Hung  Lee  or  Sam  Wah  does  washing 
and  ironing,  and  repairs  clothes  with  neatness. 
Through  the  open  doors  or  windows  these  China 
men  may  be  seen  scrubbing,  starching,  and  ironing 
linen  with  a  care  and  industry  which  not  even  a 
Parisian  blanchisseuse  could  surpass.  To  all  appear 
ance  their  services  are  indispensable.  That  they 
should  be  obnoxious  to  those  who  cannot  labour  as 
cheaply  is  not  surprising.  The  Irishman  detests 
the  competition  of  cheap  negro  labour;  the  negro 
is  jealous  of  the  Chinaman ;  if  the  energy  of  monkeys 
could  be  utilized,  all  of  them  would  probably  unite 


240  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

in  denouncing  the  unfairness  of  employing  labour 
which  required  no  direct  monetary  compensation. 
But  the  validity  of  the  reason  for  persons  of  higher 
position  regarding  Chinamen  with  intense  aversion 
is  not  so  easily  discovered.  As  members  of  the 
community,  the  Chinese  are  acknowledged  to  be 
remarkably  sober,  singularly  industrious,  exception 
ally  quiet  in  demeanour,  strict  observers  of  the  law. 
They  do  what  they  are  commanded;  they  refrain 
from  what  is  forbidden.  It  is  indisputable  that 
their  labour  is  a  great  boon  to  the  entire  com 
munity.  It  is  not  so  clear  that  the  Democratic 
party  will  succeed  in  their  one-eyed  policy  of  keep 
ing  the  Chinese  in  perpetual  subjection,  and  treating 
them  as  social  and  political  Pariahs. 

Although  no  longer  as  busy  a  city  as  it  was 
when  the  gold  fever  was  at  its  height,  Sacramento 
is  still,  and  must  continue  to  be,  a  place  of  great 
commercial  importance.  The  Pacific  Railway  has 
been  a  great  boon  to  it.  As  the  western  terminus 
of  the  Central  Pacific  it  enjoys  special  advantages. 
The  manufactories  and  machine  shops  of  the  com 
pany  are  situated  here.  Several  hundred  men  are 
employed  in  constructing  cars,  in  putting  together 
and  repairing  locomotives.  Other  industries  are 
successfully  carried  on.  Three  flour  mills,  capable 
of  supplying  1,200  barrels  of  flour  daily,  are  at 


THE  CAPITAL  OF  THE  GOLDEN  STATE.       241 

work  within  the  city's  bounds.  A  woollen  mill  is 
being  erected,  and  a  company  has  been  constituted 
for  manufacturing  sugar  from  beet-root.  Among 
other  strange  notices,  I  remarked  a  sign-board 
with  the  inscription,  f  Coal  and  Ice  Depot.'  Ex 
cepting  for  cooking  purposes  coal  is  not  in  great 
demand,  while  the  consumption  of  ice  is  very  large. 
As  the  climate  is  mild  a  supply  of  ice  cannot  be 
procured  in  the  vicinity  at  any  season  of  the  year ; 
consequently,  the  ice  used  must  be  brought  from 
the  mountain  lakes,  many  miles  away.  Of  churches 
and  of  both  public  and  private  schools,  there  are  as 
many  as  the  most  exacting  could  desire.  Notwith 
standing  the  partiality  of  the  Californiaiis  for  drinks, 
they  profess  to  be  as  proud  of  the  character  of  a 
church-going  people,  and  wish  to  be  thought  quite 
as  desirous  that  their  children  should  be  educated  as 
are  the  natives  of  New  England  itself.  The  press 
of  Sacramento  is  a  recognised  power  throughout  the 
State  whereof  it  is  the  capital.  One  newspaper, 
the  Sacramento  Daily  Union,  is  extremely  well 
conducted.  It  aspires  to  be  independent  of  party, 
making  the  interests  of  the  community  at  large  and 
of  the  country  as  a  whole  the  objects  of  its  especial 
care.  I  understand  that  its  circulation  extends  far 
beyond  the  limits  of  the  city,  and  that  its  opinions 
exercise  great  weight  throughout  California.  There 


2-12  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

are,  of  course,  the  usual  party  organs  and,  like 
purely  party  organs  in  America,  they  are  both 
rabid  and  indiscriminate  upholders  of  their  respec 
tive  sides.  As  the  seat  of  the  State  Legislature, 
this  city  has  an  element  of  importance  in  addition 
to  those  I  have  named.  A  new  State  House  has 
just  been  completed.  This  is  built  on  the  conven 
tional  pattern  of  American  Capitols.  It  has  been 
decorated  in  a  style  of  great  splendour. 

After  all  that  I  have  said  about  this  city,  it  may 
be  a  surprise  to  read  that  the  number  of  its  inhabi 
tants  does  not  exceed  between  twenty-five  and 
thirty  thousand.  It  is  the  more  noteworthy,  then, 
that  it  should  merit  so  much  attention.  A  glance 
at  the  spacious  streets  stretching  away  on  all  sides 
for  long  distances  leads  the  beholder  to  suppose 
that,  as  the  area  of  the  city  is  large,  the  number 
of  its  citizens  must  be  large  also.  The  majority  of 
the  houses  have  gardens  attached  to  them.  Rows 
of  stately  trees  line  many  of  the  streets.  The 
vegetation  is  on  a  scale  of  tropical  richness.  The 
weeds  appear  to  be  shrubs,  and  the  shrubs  resemble 
small  trees.  Other  pests  besides  weeds  abound 
here  in  rank  profusion.  The  mosquito  curtains 
which  closely  surround  the  beds  are  significant 
tokens  of  the  prevalence  of  a  form  of  insect  life 
with  which  most  persons  would  gladly  dispense. 


THE  CAPITAL  OF  THE  GOLDEN  STATE.      243 

When  it  is  considered  that  not  many  years  ago 
Sacramento  was  the  haunt  of  the  most  reckless  and 
depraved  of  the  earth ;  the  temporary  home  of  men 
who  came  to  dig  for  gold,  and  who  lavished  the 
gold  of  which  they  became  possessed  in  riotous 
living  and  in  the  vilest  profligacy,  the  marvel  is  to 
find  how  thorough  has  been  the  change,  how  com 
plete  the  purification.  The  streets  of  Sacramento 
are  as  quiet  at  night  as  the  streets  of  Boston.  A 
Maine  Liquor  Law  is  unknown,  drinking  customs 
are  in  the  ascendant,  yet  drunkenness  is  not  the 
vice  of  the  majority.  Whereas  formerly  every  man 
carried  a  revolver,  and  used  it  on  the  smallest 
provocation,  or  even  out  of  mere  wantonness  of 
brutality,  it  is  now  the  exception  to  go  armed,  and 
the  rare  exception  to  hear  of  dastardly  murders 
having  been  committed  either  in  passion  or  cold 
blood.  At  night  the  streets  are  ablaze  with  gas 
and  guarded  by  vigilant  policemen.  The  peace  is 
strictly  preserved,  and  the  lawless  stand  in  terror 
of  the  judges.  One  relic  of  the  olden  times  still 
survives.  Gaming,  the  miner's  favourite  pastime, 
flourishes  in  defiance  of  the  law,  or,  perhaps,  with 
the  connivance  of  the  authorities.  It  is  true  that 
the  gaming  hells  are  not  places  of  resort  into  which 
the  stranger  is  allured  by  publicity,  or  which  the 
passer  by,  if  uninitiated,  can  detect  without  difli- 


244  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

culty.  A  thin  veil  of  mystery  surrounds  them. 
But  the  secret  is  one  which  everybody  can  fathom 
at  the  cost  of  a  drink.  All  the  bar-keepers  can 
point  out  where  the  hells  are  situated,  and  can 
generally  tell,  moreover,  which  of  them  is  honestly 
conducted,  and  which  is  a  den  of  sharpers.  Nor  is 
the  entrance  into  any  one  of  them  attended  with 
much  trouble.  The  Cerberus  at  the  door  is  easily 
propitiated.  The  game  played  is  f  Faro,'  a  game 
which  was  the  delight  of  English  gamesters  a  cen 
tury  ago.  In  the  United  States  the  operation  of 
staking  one's  money  in  a  gaming  hell  is  called 
'  Fighting  the  Tiger.'  I  witnessed  the  ceremony 
for  the  first  time  at  Sacramento.  Though  the 
name  of  the  game  played  is  different,  yet  the  result 
is  identical  with  that  which  follows  when  money  is 
staked  at  Baden-Baden  or  Homburg.  As  I  was 
informed  that  the  same  spectacle  of '  Fighting  the 
Tiger'  might  be  witnessed  on  a  grander  scale  at 
San  Francisco,  I  shall  defer  my  account  of  the 
exhibition  till  after  visiting  the  chief  and  the  most 
renowned  among  Californian  cities. 


245 


XIX. 

SACRAMENTO  CITY  TO  THE  GOLDEN  GATE. 

THE  western  terminus  of  the  Central  Pacific  Kail- 
way  is  at  Sacramento.  This  city  occupies  the  place 
at  one  end  of  the  line  which  Chicago  does  at  the 
other.  Just  as  several  routes  lead  from  New  York 
to  Chicago,  so  are  there  more  routes  than  one  be 
tween  Sacramento  and  San  Francisco.  For  the 
third  time  is  the  traveller  embarrassed  by  variety. 
He  may  select  one  out  of  two  railways,  or  he  may 
elect  to  take  the  steamer.  His  ticket  gives  him  the 
option  of  a  land  or  water  journey.  The  difference 
in  time  is  trifling.  As  nothing  worth  speaking  of 
was  gained  by  continuing  my  journey  by  rail,  I 
decided  upon  completing  it  by  water.  Besides,  I 
could  return  by  train,  and  thus  see  more  of  the 
country  than  if,  on  both  occasions,  I  had  traversed 
the  same  route. 

The  California  Steam  Navigation  Company!s 
steamer  leaves  Sacramento  at  two  in  the  afternoon, 
arriving  at  San  Francisco  at  ten  o'clock  the  same 


246  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

night.  Like  the  majority  of  American  steamboats, 
those  of  this  company  are  large,  commodious,  and 
luxurious.  None  of  our  English  river  or  coasting 
steamers  are  on  a  par  with  them.  The  upper  saloon 
resembles  a  large  hall  in  an  English  country  house, 
furnished  in  the  style  and  with  the  taste  of  a 
splendid  drawing-room.  It  constitutes  a  fine  pro 
menade  for  those  who  like  to  walk  under  cover. 
In  the  soft  couches  the  studious  may  recline  book 
in  hand,  while  those  who  are  fond  of  meditating 
with  closed  eyes  may  do  so  in  the  numerous  easy 
chairs.  The  dining  saloon  is  in  the  lower  part  of 
the  vessel.  This  is  a  lofty,  airy,  and  well-lit  apart 
ment.  During  the  day  the  light  streams  in  through 
large  windows  ;  after  nightfall  many  gas  jets  make 
it  as  brilliant  as  if  the  sun  shone.  A  meal  eaten  in 
this  saloon  can  be  enjoyed  all  the  more  on  account 
of  the  absence  of  the  foul  smells  and  stifling  atmo 
sphere  which  render  the  saloon  of  an  English  river 
steamer  an  earthly  purgatory.  It  is  hardly  possible 
to  infer  from  appearances  that  those  who  sit  at  table 
are  not  seated  in  the  dining-room  of  a  first-class 
American  hotel.  On  the  deck  there  is  ample  space 
for  the  comfortable  accommodation  of  those  who, 
when  at  sea  or  on  the  river,  delight  in  walking  or 
sitting  in  the  open  air.  The  return  journey  is  made 
at  night,  and  then  the  comforts  of  a  well-appointed 


SACRAMENTO  CITY  TO  THE  GOLDEN  GATE.    247 

state-room  may  be  had  for  a  small  extra  payment. 
With  the  French  the  phrase  f  English  comfort '  has 
taken  its  place  in  the  vocabulary  of  those  who  desire 
to  express  or  typify  what  are  deemed  perfect  ar 
rangements  for  procuring  and  partaking  of  what 
constitutes  the  acme  of  bodily  enjoyment.  An  ac 
quaintance  with  the  railway  carriages  and  the 
steamers  of  America  provokes  a  doubt  whether  in 
the  construction  of  either  the  exacting  and  comfort- 
loving  Englishman  has  not  been  rivalled  by  those 
who  are  on  the  high-road  to  becoming  his  superiors. 
I  do  not  maintain  that  the  steamer  Yo-Semite,  by 
which  these  remarks  have  been  suggested,  is  on  the 
whole  a  model  craft.  The  boats  on  the  River 
Hudson,  and  those  which  ply  between  New  York 
and  Newport,  are  far  more  noteworthy  as  examples 
of  floating  palaces.  Even  the  less  famous  steamers 
which  make  the  passage  between  Boston  and  Port 
land  are  quite  as  complete  and  comfortable  places  of 
temporary  abode  as  the  steamers  on  the  River 
Sacramento.  What  specially  impressed  me  was  to 
find  a  similar  degree  of  excellence  in  this  depart 
ment  of  travel  obtainable  within  sight  of  the  At 
lantic  and  within  a  few  miles  of  the  Pacific,  as  well 
as  on  the  majestic  rivers  which  form  liquid  and 
silent  highways  between  the  inland  States  and  the 
two  Oceans  which  wash  the  shores  of  the  Continent. 


248  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

At  night  the  brilliant  lights  on  these  steamers  give 
to  them  the  aspect  of  fire-ships.  At  all  times  they 
are  hardly  less  dangerous  than  floating  powder  ma 
gazines.  This  is  their  bane,  as  comfort  is  their 
characteristic.  Costly  decoration  is  frequently  in 
dulged  in  at  a  disregard  for  safety.  The  saloon  is 
far  more  perfect  than  the  engine-room.  The 
machinery  is  better  adapted  for  show  than  use,  the 
boilers  being  very  inferior  to  the  berths.  One  of 
the  passengers  on  the  Yo- Semite  told  me  that  a 
year  or  two  ago  an  explosion  had  taken  place  whilst 
he  was  on  board,  that  many  passengers  were  killed, 
and  several  maimed  for  life.  This  intelligence 
damped  the  spirits  of  some  who  heard  it.  Others 
argued  that  the  fact  of  such  an  accident  having  oc 
curred  once  was  favourable  to  a  safe  voyage.  My 
own  feeling  was  one  of  indifference.  After  travel 
ling  for  thousands  of  miles  over  roads  reputed  to  be 
dangerous,  the  chances  of  an  accident  taking  place 
cause  but  little  concern,  the  accidents  themselves 
being  looked  upon  as  parts  of  the  programme. 

At  Sacramento,  where  the  river  of  that  name  is 
joined  by  the  American  river,  the  united  streams 
form  a  broad  but  shallow  sheet  of  water.  Not  far 
trom  this  point  the  memorable  discoveries  of  gold 
were  made  in  1848.  It  is  not  true,  as  has  been 
supposed,  that  this  was  the  first  time  the  existence 


SACKAMENTO  CITY  TO  THE  GOLDEN  GATE.    249 

of  gold  in  California  had  been  demonstrated.  Many 
years  prior  to  these  discoveries  the  Indians  were  in 
the  habit  of  bringing  small  parcels  of  gold  dust  from 
the  interior  to  the  coast,  and  selling  them  to  the 
masters  of  the  vessels  which  then  came  for  cargoes 
of  hides.  Mr.  Dana,  the  well-known  author  of 
*  Two  Years  before  the  Mast,'  who  visited  the 
Pacific  coast  in  1836,  relates  that  among  the  cargo 
which  the  Alert  carried  to  Boston  was  a  small 
quantity  of  gold  dust.  He  adds  that  rumours  of 
gold  discoveries  were  then  current.  These,  how 
ever,  attracted  little  or  no  attention.  It  is  no  longer 
possible  to  procure  gold  with  as  little  labour  and 
trouble  as  at  the  period  of  its  discovery.  The  gold 
digger's  occupation  is  not  gone,  but  transformed. 
Instead  of  washing  the  precious  metal  out  of  the 
sand  and  mud  of  the  streams,  he  has  now  to  make 
elaborate  arrangements  for  excavating  from  the 
depths  of  the  river  bed  or  from  the  sides  of  the 
mountains  the  earth  throughout  which  the  glitter 
ing  and  valuable  dust  is  interspersed.  What  is 
called  hydraulic  mining  has  had  the  greatest  success 
in  this  part  of  the  State,  just  as  in  other  parts 
quartz-crushing  has  become  the  rule  and  the  source 
of  wealth.  This  hydraulic  mining  consists  in  divert 
ing  a  powerful  stream  of  water  against  the  deposits 
of  earth  on  the  mountain  slopes,  and  separating  the 


250  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

metal  from  the  semi-fluid  mass  which  descends  into 
suitable  tanks.  The  earth  or  mud,  or  mixture  of 
both,  after  having  been  carefully  sifted,  is  thrown 
into  the  stream  which  runs  into  the  river.  The 
result  of  this  is  to  add  large  deposits  to  the  river's 
bed,  and  to  cause  the  swollen  stream  to  flood  the 
surrounding  country.  This  is  the  principal  reason 
why  the  recent  inundations  have  given  the  citizens 
of  Sacramento  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  Sacra 
mento  Valley  so  much  annoyance.  The  bed  of  the 
stream  has  become  disproportionately  high  for  its 
banks.  Towards  the  winter,  when  the  dry  season 
is  many  months  old,  and  the  season  when  the  rain 
falls  has  not  arrived,  the  shallowness  of  the  river 
occasions  much  inconvenience.  The  breadth  of  the 
river  at  Sacramento  is  equal  to  that  of  the  Thames 
at  Greenwich.  But  the  numerous  shoals  seriously 
impede  navigation.  The  water  is  of  a  dark  brown 
colour.  For  several  miles  below  Sacramento  the 
seenery  is  very  monotonous  and  unattractive.  The 
view  from  the  Scheldt  below  Antwerp  bears  a  great 
resemblance  to  what  may  be  witnessed  here,  with 
this  difference — that  no  conspicuous  object,  like  the 
fine  spire  of  Antwerp  Cathedral,  attracts  the  at 
tention  and  gives  variety  to  the  prospect.  The 
banks  appear  to  have  been  undermined  by  the  swift 
and  strong  current.  They  are  covered  down  to  the 


SACRAMENTO   CITY  TO  THE  GOLDEN  GATE.    251 

water's  edge  with  a  rank  and  unpicturesque  vege 
tation.  The  land,  though  devoid  of  natural  beauties, 
is  yet  of  the  richest  and  most  valuable  character. 
If  little  more  than  semi-liquid  mud,  it  is  a  soil  in 
which  anything  will  grow,  provided  the  recurring 
inundations  are  checked.  At  present,  cultivation 
is  hardly  possible  here.  Rising  and  falling  with 
the  varying  height  of  the  river,  the  fields  cannot  be 
tilled  with  ease,  nor  the  harvest  reaped  with  cer 
tainty.  A  house  built  upon  it  is  reared  on  as 
imperfect  a  foundation  as  a  house  built  upon  trea 
cherous  and  unstable  sand.  To  other  drawbacks, 
that  of  unhealthiness,  must  be  added.  Conspicuous 
among  the  natural  products  of  this  virgin  soil  are 
huge  reeds,  many  of  which  attain  to  the  height  of 
ten  feet.  These  are  similar  to  the  bulrushes  of 
Scripture  among  which  the  infant  Moses  was  con 
cealed.  Here  they  are  called  (  Tules.'  The  ground 
whereon  they  flourish  is  known  by  the  name  of  the 
e  Tule  Lands.'  Millions  of  acres  of  this  land  could 
be  turned  to  profitable  account  if  efficient  embank 
ments  were  erected.  The  pure  vegetable  mould 
which  constitutes  the  soil,  coupled  with  the  faci 
lities  for  inexpensive  irrigation,  present  every  re 
quisite  for  the  growth  of  rice.  The  reclamation  of 
these  Tule  Lands  is  one  of  the  problems  which  the 

agriculturists  and  capitalists  of  California  are  long- 
12 


252  WESTWARD  EY  RAIL. 

ing  and  labouring  to  solve.  Experiments  have 
been  made  by  them,  but  without  success,  owing, 
it  is  said,  to  the  imperfect  nature  of  the  works 
executed.  If  the  Dutch  had  control  over  this  land 
they  would  soon  win  it  from  the  river,  while  if  the 
Chinese  were  allowed  to  cultivate  it  they  would 
soon  convert  it  into  remunerative  rice-fields.  What 
some  Californians  do  is  to  discuss  the  course  to  be 
adopted,  and  to  set  fire  to  the  '  Tules '  once  a  year. 
The  spectacle  of  these  fires  is  magnificent.  I  was 
fortunate  enough  to  witness  the  sight.  The  thick, 
sluggish  volume  of  smoke  rose  grandly  into  the 
air,  and  was  wafted  slowly  away  by  the  gentle 
breeze.  A  purplish  red  tint  gave  to  the  canopy  of 
smoke  a  strange  and  beautiful  aspect.  I  have  seen 
a  prairie  on  fire  in  the  State  of  Iowa,  but  the  sight 
was  infinitely  less  imposing  than  the  blazing '  Tules ' 
on  the  banks  of  the  Sacramento  River.  After 
nightfall  the  effect  produced  resemblecl  that  which 
those  can  picture  who  have  seen  the  furnaces  of  the 
Black  Country  or  of  Belgium  belching  forth  flames 
in  the  darkness  of  a  starless  and  moonless  night, 
and  illuminating  the  surrounding  country  with  a 
lurid  glare,  only  that  in  this  case  the  flames  were 
rolling  and  raging  in  an  unbroken  mass,  extending 
over  what  appeared  to  be  a  limitless  tract  of 
country.  The  bon-fire  was  the  largest  and  grandest 


SACRAMENTO  CITY  TO  THE  GOLDEN  GATE.    253 

I  ever  witnessed.  I  should  have  preferred,  how 
ever,  to  have  seen  the  '  Tule  lands '  yellow  with 
harvest  to  seeing  them  the  theatre  of  a  gigantic 
conflagration. 

While  the  steamer  Yo- Semite  was  descending 
the  Sacramento  River,  I  learned  some  interesting 
particulars,  from  passengers  with  whom  I  conversed, 
relating  to  the  agricultural  capabilities  and  customs 
of  California.  My  informants  were  practical 
farmers,  and,  like  farmers  in  other  quarters  of 
the  globe,  grumbled  bitterly  at  their  lot.  But 
their  grievances  were  not  the  grievances  of  un 
certain  weather  and  untractable  soil  which  vex  the 
hearts  and  try  the  tempers  of  English  farmers.  As 
regards  the  weather,  they  had  no  reason  to  com 
plain.  They  could  make  their  arrangements  with 
perfect  confidence  that  no  outward  change  in  tem 
perature  nor  any  untimely  shower  of  rain  would 
blight  their  prospects  by  ruining  their  crops. 
During  certain  months  of  the  year  they  know  that 
rain  will  fall ;  during  the  remainder  of  the  year 
they  can  count  upon  uniformly  fair  weather.  In 
deed,  the  Californian  farmer  is  sure  of  reaping,  in 
due  season,  the  crop  whereof  he  sows  the  seed. 
He  is  under  no  apprehension  that  if  he  omits  to 
house  his  grain  for  a  day  the  consequences  may  be 
fatal  to  his  hopes.  On  the  contrary,  he  may  post- 


254  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

pone  his  harvest-home  from  day  to  day,  and  from 
week  to  week,  with  comparative  impunity.  His 
sheaves  will  not  rot  on  the  fields,  owing  to  the 
moisture  with  which,  after  too  long  exposure  in  our 
fickle  climate,  they  are  certain  to  be  saturated.  Of 
sheaves,  indeed,  he  knows  nothing.  The  ears  of 
corn  are  clipped  from  the  stalks  by  a  machine,  and 
gathered  into  heaps  until  the  time  for  thrashing 
them  arrives.  The  *  straw  is  wasted  altogether, 
being  got  rid  of  as  an  incumbrance,  instead  of  being 
treated  as  a  source  of  profit.  It  is  set  on  fire. 
As  the  ash  produced  by  its  combustion  partially 
and  imperfectly  subserves  the  purpose  of  manure,  the 
process  is  a  wasteful  as  well  as  barbarous  one.  The 
excuse  for  it  is,  that  labour  being  scarce  a  loss  must 
be  incurred  at  some  stage  or  other  of  the  agricul 
tural  processes.  If  there  were  more  hands  to  do 
the  work  much  less  waste  would  be  occasioned. 
This,  then,  is  one  of  the  grievances  of  the  Cali- 
fornian  farmer.  He  is  ready  to  pay  farm  labourers 
as  much  as  a  skilled  mechanic  is  paid  at  home. 
What  a  Dorsetshire  peasant  gets  for  a  week's 
labour  he  would  readily  receive  in  California  for 
the  labour  of  a  single  day.  Moreover,  he  would 
be  well  fed  and  comfortably  lodged,  treated  not  as 
a  servant  but  an  equal,  and  expected  to  prove 
himself  something  nobler  than  a  drudge  touching 


SACRAMENTO   CITY  TO   THE  GOLDEN  GATE.    255 

his  hat  in  abject  submission  to  the  squire,  and 
listening  meekly  to  the  parson.  To  all  who  are 
willing  to  engage  in  field-work,  the  Western 
prairies  of  America  and  the  vast  plains  of  California 
offer  inducements  such  as  can  hardly  be  over 
estimated  or  exaggerated.  But  those  who  are 
ignorant  of  farming,  and  who  cannot  or  who  will 
not  toil  with  their  hands,  had  better  stay  at  home. 
It  is  true  that  they  may  starve  in  England,  but  it 
is  quite  as  probable  that  such  persons  will  starve  in 
the  United  States.  Next  to  procuring  plenty  of 
labour — not  cheap  labour,  be  it  remarked,  for  he 
is  both  willing  and  able  to  pay  good  wages — the 
Californian  farmer  desires  to  purchase  cheap  imple 
ments  of  husbandry.  This  is  but  another  way  of 
stating  that  he  is  a  Free-trader  to  the  backbone. 
He  finds  that  Liverpool  is  the  best  market  for  his 
grain,  and  he  argues  that  no  obstacle  should  be 
interposed  to  hinder  his  getting  in  return  cheap 
machinery  and  tools  from  England.  These  state 
ments  are  not  put  into  the  mouths  of  imaginary 
farmers,  but  are  the  statements  actually  made  to 
me  by  men  with  whom  I  conversed.  More  than 
one  avowed  that  his  conversion  to  Free  Trade  was 
a  thing  of  yesterday,  and  had  its  basis  in  self- 
interest.  Until  California  became  a  large  grain- 
producing  country,  the  injury  wrought  by  a  high 


256  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

protective  tariff  did  not  directly  affect  its  inhabi 
tants.  They  are  otherwise-minded  now,  because 
they  feel  that  they  are  the  victims  of  a  policy  which 
enriches  a  section  of  the  American  people  at  the 
cost  of  the  agricultural  population  of  the  country. 
The  Californian  farmers  are  at  one  with  the  farmers 
of  Illinois  and  other  States  in  desiring  the  pro 
clamation  of  Free  Trade  as  the  policy  of  the  nation. 
Moreover,  what  these  men  desire  will  probably  be 
brought  to  pass,  because  they  bid  fair  to  become 
the  majority  at  the  polls. 

Eighty  miles  below  the  city  of  Sacramento  the 
Joaquin  joins  the  Sacramento  River,  and  the  united 
streams  flow  into  the  Bay  of  Suisun.  This  bay  is 
connected  with  the  Bay  of  San  Pablo  by  the  Straits 
of  Carquinez.  On  the  right  of  the  outlet  from  the 
Bay  of  Suisun  is  the  town  of  Benicia,  celebrated  in 
Europe  as  the  dwelling-place  of  the  '  boy '  of  that 
name,  and  notable  here  as  the  former  capital  of 
California.  It  is  no  longer  a  thriving  and  advancing 
place.  The  wharf  seems  falling  into  decay.  The 
number  of  inhabitants  is  rated  at  600,  yet  it 
still  continues  to  enjoy  a  reputation  of  an  enviable 
kind.  Its  schools  are  well-conducted  and  arc 
largely  patronised.  The  only  law  school  of  which 
California  boasts  is  among  the  noted  seminaries  of 
learning  that  adorn  Benicia.  On  the  opposite  side 


SACRAMENTO  CITY  TO  THE  GOLDEN  GATE.    257 

of  the  bay  may  be  discerned  Mount  Diablo,  a 
solitary  eminence  amid  the  surrounding  plains.  In 
its  vicinity  are  extensive  coal  pits.  The  coal  raised 
here  is  of  excellent  quality ;  but  it  has  one  great 
drawback.  The  volume  of  dense  black  smoke 
emitted  from  the  ignited  coal  is  much  larger  than 
is  agreeable  or  desirable.  A  steamer  or  a  loco 
motive,  in  the  furnaces  of  which  this  coal  is  burned, 
is  distinguishable  at  a  considerable  distance  by  the 
blackness  and  quantity  of  smoke  issuing  from  its 
funnel  or  chimney.  About  1,000  tons  monthly 
are  raised  from  the  pits,  arid  the  surrounding  towns 
and  cities  are  beginning  to  use  this  coal  in  pre 
ference  to  that  which  is  imported,  and  which  is 
necessarily  more  expensive.  The  depth  of  water 
at  Benicia  is  great  enough  to  permit  of  ocean 
steamers  sailing  up  to  the  wharf.  Even  the  gigantic 
steamers  of  the  Pacific  Steam  Navigation  Company 
can  be  brought  here  for  repairs,  the  company's 
foundry  and  machine-shop  being  situated  at  this 
place.  The  passengers  who,  at  this  season,  descend 
the  river  in  steamers,  are  rejoiced  when  Benicia  is 
reached,  because  they  no  longer  have  reason  to 
dread  detention  owing  to  the  vessel  running  aground 
on  the  Hog's  Back,  or  any  of  the  other  shoals 
which  render  the  navigation  of  the  river  precarious 
and  unsatisfactory.  The  Yo-Semite  took  the  ground 


2,58  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

more  than  once ;  fortunately,  however,  the  engines 
were  powerful  enough  to  move  her  into  deeper 
water  again. 

After  passing  through  the  Straits  of  Carquincz, 
which  are  eight  miles  in  length,  the  Bay  of  San 
Pablo  is  entered.  This  bay  is  fifteen  miles  broad 
and  Jwenty  long,  and  opens  at  its  lower  extremity 
into  the  great  bay  on  which  San  Francisco  is  situ 
ated.  The  sun  set  while  the  steamer  was  ploughing 
her  way  through  those  noble  sheets  of  water.  The 
sky  was  of  a  brilliant  blue,  and  not  a  cloud  dimmed 
or  concealed  its  brightness.  As  the  sun  rapidly 
sank  behind  the  range  of  mountains  which  lines  the 
coast  of  the  Pacific  the  horizon  was  flushed  with  a 
soft  rosy  light,  which  the  eye,  accustomed  to  the 
varied  splendours  of  the  masses  of  golden  and  purple 
clouds  that  constitute  the  glory  of  a  sunset  in  a 
Northern  clime,  views  with  an  admiration  mingled 
with  wonder.  The  rapidity  of  the  change  from 
bright  sunlight  to  pale  starlight  was  still  a  novelty 
to  me.  Of  twilight,  that  charming  isthmus  between 
the  glare  of  the  day  and  the  gloom  and  mystery  of 
night,  there  was  hardly  a  trace.  Scarcely  had  the 
last  glimpse  of  the  lord  of  light  been  caught  than 
the  deep  blue  heavens  were  glittering  with  stars. 
It  is  probable  that  the  strangeness  of  the  lovely 
spectacle  made  it  more  fascinating  to  me  than  to 


SACRAMENTO  CITY  TO  THE  GOLDEN  GATE.     259 

other  passengers  on  board  the  steamer.  To  them 
it  was  literally  an  e very-day  occurrence.  Each 
returning  evening  resembles  this  one,  and  they  were 
not  excited  by  a  sight  which  was  stale  and  common 
place  to  them.  Moreover,  they  had  an  excuse  for 
preferring  the  shelter  of  the  cabin  to  a  seat  on  the 
open  deck.  The  breeze  from  the  Pacific  blows  at 
nightfall  with  a  coolness  almost  too  great  for  those 
who  have  been  oppressed  by  the  heat  of  the  day. 
Besides,  a  slight  swell  made  the  Yo-Semite  rock 
with  more  violence  than  was  perfectly  agreeable  to 
the  majority  of  the  passengers.  She  was  now 
traversing  the  waters  of  San  Francisco's  unrivalled 
bay,  and  the  waves  rolling  in  through  the  Golden 
Gate  demonstrated  to  the  incredulous  that  the 
Pacific  has  breakers  which  are  a  match  for  the 
billows  that  rear  their  crests  on  the  most  stormy 
seas.  About  fifteen  miles  intervene  between  the 
wharf  at  San  Francisco  and  the  outlet  from  the  Bay 
of  San  Pablo.  At  a  considerable  distance  from  the 
landing-place  a  fine  view  of  the  city  is  obtained. 
Seen  as  I  saw  it  for  the  first  time  the  appearance  of 
San  Francisco  is  enchanting.  Built  on  a  hill  slope, 
up  which  many  streets  run  to  the  top,  and  illumined 
as  these  streets  were  with  innumerable  gas  lamps, 
the  effect  was  that  of  a  huge  dome  ablaze  with 
lamps  arranged  in  lines  and  circles.  Those  who 


260  WESTWARD  BY  KAIL. 

have  stood  in  Princes-street  at  night,  and  gazed 
upon  the  Old  Town  and  Castle  of  Edinburgh,  can 
form  "a  very  correct  notion  of  the  fairy-like  spectacle. 
Expecting  to  find  San  Francisco  a  city  of  wonders, 
I  was  not  disappointed  when  it  seemed  to  my  eyes 
a  city  of  magic,  such  a  city  as  Aladdin  might  have 
ordered  the  genii  to  create  in  order  to  astonish  and 
dazzle  the  spectator.  I  was  warned  by  those  whom 
personal  experience  of  the  city  had  taught  to  dis 
tinguish  glitter  from  substance,  not  to  expect  that 
the  reality  of  the  morrow  would  fulfil  the  promise 
of  the  evening.  Some  of  the  parts  which  now  ap 
peared  the  most  fascinating  were  said  to  be  the 
least  attractive  when  viewed  by  day.  Still,  the 
panorama  was  deprived  of  none  of  its  glories  by 
these  whispers  of  well-meant  warning.  Those  who 
wish  to  have  a  favourable  impression  when  they 
first  behold  San  Francisco  are  strongly  advised  to 
view  it  from  the  deck  of  a  steamer  when  the  full- 
orbed  stars  twinkling  overhead  are  almost  rivalled 
by  the  myriads  of  gas-lights  illuminating  the  land. 

If  this  spectacle  be  poetry  the  landing  is  prose. 
The  din  and  bustle  soon  recall  the  errant  mind 
from  aerial  flights  of  fancy  to  the  harsh  realities  of 
terrestrial  life.  A  Babel  of  tongues  rises  from  the 
crowded  landing-stage  as  soon  as  the  steamer  has 
been  moored.  Hardly  has  the  passenger  set  foot 


SACRAMENTO  CITY  TO  THE  GOLDEN  GATE.    261 

on  shore  than  he  becomes  the  prey  of  men  intent 
upon  earning  a  gratuity  by  doing,  or  professing  to 
render,  him  a  service.  The  importunities  of  the 
touters,  porters,  and  cabmen  are  not  only  quite  as 
tormenting  as  those  of  their  brethren  at  Calais  or 
Boulogne,  but  this  bidding  for  employment  is  also 
in  marked  contrast  to  what  prevails  in  other  Ameri 
can  cities.  The  stranger  who  disembarks  at  New 
York  has  to  ask  the  hangers-on  at  the  wharf  to 
carry  his  luggage,  and  he  might  have  long  to  wait 
before  they  voluntarily  pressed  their  services  upon 
him.  It  cannot  be  doubted  that  the  stories  which 
once  were  true  about  the  independence  of  the 
dwellers  in  San  Francisco  have  ceased  to  be  appli 
cable  and  characteristic.  At  one  time  a  new  arrival 
is  said  to  have  offered  a  shabbily-dressed  man  a 
dollar  to  carry  his  bag  a  short  distance  for  him. 
He  received  the  reply,  '  I  will  give  an  ounce  of  gold 
to  see  you  carry  it  yourself.'  The  new-corner 
thereupon  acted  as  his  own  porter,  returned  and 
claimed  the  ounce  of  gold,  which  he  received,  and 
was  in  addition  treated  to  a  bottle  of  champagne, 
for  which  his  entertainer  had  to  pay  the  value  of 
another  ounce.  At  present  the  tables  are  turned, 
and  the  supply  of  labour  is  in  excess  of  the  demand. 
I  had  not  long  to  wait  before  I  discovered  that  if 
certain  kinds  of  labour  were  abundant,  the  prices 


262  WESTWARD  EY  EAIL. 

paid  for  labour  generally  were  exorbitant.  All 
payments  in  California  are  made  in  coin,  and  they 
are  nearly  as  high  as  the  corresponding  payments 
made  elsewhere  in  depreciated  '  greenbacks.'  A 
drive  through  the  streets  disenchanted  me  as  to  the 
fairy-like  character  of  the  city.  Indeed,  the  streets, 
private  houses,  shops,  warehouses,  and  hotels  pre 
sented  no  remarkable  and  exceptional  appearance. 
The  journey  had  been  made  too  rapidly  to  make 
the  aspect  of  a  large  and  populous  city  a  thing  to 
be  beheld  again  with  special  satisfaction.  Among 
the  marvels  wrought  by  the  Pacific  Railway  is  the 
comparative  annihilation  of  ideas  as  to  distance  in 
the  minds  of  those  who  travel  by  it  across  the 
continent  of  America.  Some  time  elapses,  after 
arriving  at  San  Francisco,  before  the  fact  is  fully 
realized  that  New  York  is  three  thousand  and 
Chicago  two  thousand  miles  distant.  The  traveller 
who  has  come  thus  far  thinks  it  but  a  trifle  to 
continue  his  journey  in  the  track  of  the  setting 
sun,  even  though  aware  that  he  would  have  to 
sail  for  ten  or  twenty  days  before  finding  a  halting- 
place  at  Honolulu,  or  Yokohama,  or  Hong  Kong. 


263 


XX. 

THE  QUEEN  CITY  OF  THE  PACIFIC  COAS1. 

THE  Golden  Gate  was  one  of  the  many  important 
discoveries  made  by  Sir  Francis  Drake.  He  spoke 
eulogistically  of  the  bay  into  which  that  opening 
in  this  rockbound  coast  furnished  an  entrance,  and 
in  token  of  his  gratification  with  the  surrounding 
country  he  named  it  New  Albion.  The  Spaniards, 
however,  were  the  first  settlers  in  California.  Till 
the  year  1847,  what  is  now  known  as  San  Francisco 
was  called  Yerla  Buena.  In  like  manner,  Sacra 
mento  bore  the  name  of  Nueva  Helvetia.  Even 
these  names  are  being  forgotten,  just  as  all  traces 
of  Spanish  settlement  are  gradually  dying  out. 
When  Mr.  Dana  came  here  in  1835,  but  a  single 
wooden  shanty  occupied  the  site  of  the  present  city 
of  San  Francisco.  As  long  ago  as  that  year,  and 
-when  the  value  of  this  place  had  not  been  ascer 
tained,  Mr.  Dana  made  the  following  entry  in  the 
diary,  which,  under  the  title  of  f  Two  Years  before 
the  Mast,' was  given  to  the  world  in  1840: — f  If 


264  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

California  ever  becomes  a  prosperous  country,  this 
bay  will  be  the  centre  of  its  prosperity.  The 
abundance  of  wood  and  water;  the'  extreme  fer 
tility  of  its  shores ;  the  excellence  of  its  climate, 
which  is  as  near  to  being  perfect  as  any  in  the 
world,  and  its  facilities  for  navigation,  affording 
the  best  anchoring  grounds  in  the  whole  western 
coast  of  America — all  fit  it  for  a  place  of  great 
importance.'  This  prediction  deserves  to  be  ranked 
with  the  most  successful  specimens  of  fulfilled  pro 
phecy.  Ten  years  later  the  population  had  in 
creased  from  one  man  to  an  hundred  and  fifty 
souls.  According  to  the  most  recent  estimate  the 
inhabitants  of  San  Francisco  now  number  170,000. 
This  rapidity  of  growth  is  wonderful ;  yet  it  is  not  un 
exampled  in  the  United  States.  Other  things  than 
the  increase  of  the  population  and  the  enlargement 
of  the  city  have  made  the  growth  of  San  Francisco 
an  event  without  a  parallel,  either  in  America  or  in 
anj  other  quarter  of  the  habitable  globe  Its  name 
had  become  synonymous  for  all  that  was  most 
shameless  ir  profligacy,  for  all  that  was  basest  in 
depravity,  for  all  that  \v:is  wanton  and  brutal  in 
ruffianism.  In  the  open  day  men  were  murdered 
with  impunity.  At  night  the  property  of  the  citi 
zens  was  at  tho  mercy  of  the  lawless.  The  scum 
of  Polynesia,  desperadoes  from  Australia,  bullies 


THE  QUEEN  CITY  OF  THE  PACIFIC  COAST.     265 

and  blackguards  from  the  wild  State  of  Missouri, 
Spanish  cut-throats  from  the  cities  of  the  Pacific 
Coast,  dissolute  women  and  reckless  adventurers 
from  the  slums  of  Europe,  congregated  in  San 
Francisco,  and  there  plied  their  several  avocations 
and  followed  their  devious  courses  in  defiance  of 
the  prohibitions  of  a  law  which  had  lost  its  terrors 
for  them,  and  in  disregard  of  any  other  check  save 
the  revolver  or  the  bowie  knife.  At  that  time,  San 
Francisco  was  one-half  a  brothel,  and  one-half  a 
gaming  hell.  There  came  a  crisis  in  the  annals  of 
the  city  when  the  action  of  the  law  was  forcibly 
impeded,  in  order  that  the  reign  of  law  might  be 
restored.  As  the  old  Romans  submitted  to  a  Dic 
tator,  so  did  the  citizens  of  San  Francisco  tempo 
rarily  and  voluntarily  submit  to  a  dictatorship, 
under  the  name  of  a  Vigilance  Committee.  This 
body  discharged  the  fourfold  functions  of  police, 
judge,  jury,  and  executioner.  A  short  shrift  and 
a  lofty  gallows  was  the  fate  of  the  criminal  whom 
they  took  in  the  act  of  committing  robbery  or 
murder.  The  remedy  was  strong  and  dangerous. 
But  the  symptoms  were  so  threatening  as  to  in 
spire  fear  lest  what  men  call  civilization  should 
cease  to  exist,  and  no  peril  incurred  in  applying 
the  remedy  was  comparable  to  the  risk  of  allow 
ing  the  disease  to  spread  and  become  intensified. 


266  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

Never,  perhaps,  in  the  history  of  the  world  did  the 
result  more  completely  justify  the  means  employed 
than  in  the  case  of  San  Francisco.  The  Vigilance 
Committee  discharged  its  duties  with  unrelent 
ing  severity  so  long  as  professional  thieves  -  and 
systematic  murderers  were  at  large  triumphing  in 
their  crimes.  As  soon,  however,  as  order  was 
restored,  the  Vigilance  Committee  decreed  its  own 
dissolution,  and  the  dispensers  of  summary  justice 
became  conspicuous  for  their  obedience  to  the  ad 
ministrators  of  the  law.  From  being  a  by-word  for 
its  lawlessness  and  licentiousness,  the  city  of  San 
Francisco  has  become,  in  little  more  than  ten  years, 
as  moral  as  Philadelphia,  and  far  more  orderly  than 
New  York. 

With  the  knowledge  of  what  San  Francisco  had 
been,  and  unacquainted  by  personal  observation 
with  what  it  had  become,  my  first  walk  along  its 
streets  on  the  morning  after  my  arrival  was  one  of 
peculiar  interest.  I  went  along  Montgomery-street, 
which  is  the  Regent-street  and  Lombard-street,  or 
Broadway  and  Wall-street,  of  this  city.  It  is 
lined  with  handsome  shops.  The  pavement  is 
crowded  with  pedestrians,  the  majority  of  whom 
have  the  anxious  look  and  the  hurried  gait  of 
business  men,  while  the  minority  are  ordinary  sight 
seers,  or  persons  who  walk  therein  in  order  to  be 


THE  QUEEN  CITY  OF  THE  PACIFIC  COAST.      2G7 

seen.  Bankers'  offices  are  very  numerous.  Their 
windows  are  filled  with  the  paper-money  of  all 
nations,  from  the  plain  white  notes  of  the  Bank  of 
England  to  the  elaborately  figured  'greenbacks' 
of  -the  United  States.  These  'greenbacks'  are 
not  current  in  California.  The  State  stretched  its 
legal  rights  to  the  extreme  point  of  refusing  to 
accept  as  currency  what  Congress  had  proclaimed 
legal  tenders.  Nothing  passes  m  current  here  save 
gold  and  silver  coin.  Even  the  nickel  and  copper 
cents  of  th^  Eastern  States  are  unknown.  They 
are  looked  upon  as  curiosities.  Men  wear  them  on 
their  watch  chains  just  as  some  Englishmen  wear 
*  spade'  guineas.  On  my  arrival  at  the  hotel,  a 
Californian  who  had  brought  some  of  these  coins 
from  the  East  was  besieged  with  inquiries  for  them. 
Many  persons  had  never  seen  one,  and  to  them 
they  were  as  great  novelties  as  African  cowries 
would  be  to  us.  Small  sums  are  reckoned  in  f  bits,' 
which  are  imaginary  coins  having  the  nominal  value 
of  twelve  and  a  half  cents.  Indeed,  the  absence 
of  single  cents  causes  something  worse  than  con 
fusion.  A  newspaper  costs  ten  cents.  Suppose 
that  a  quarter  dollar,  equal  to  twenty-five  cents, 
is  presented  in  payment  for  the  newspaper,  the 
seller  will  probably  return  a  dime,  which  is  equal 
to  ten  cents.  Thus  fifteen  cents  have  been  paid 


2G8  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

instead  of  ten.  His  excuse  will  be  that  he  has  not 
any  half  dimes,  these  coins  being  extremely  scarce. 
In  California  this  is  taken  as  a  thing  of  course  by 
the  natives  and  the  residents.  The  visitors,  how 
ever,  are  apt  to  regard  it  as  an  imposition.  The 
gold  coin  generally  current  is  the  twenty-dollar 
piece.  It  is  about  the  size  of  half  a  crown,  is 
worth  nearly  five  pounds  sterling,  and  is  a  very 
beautiful  coin.  The  inhabitants,  who  are  accus 
tomed  to  high  prices,  part  with  these  coins  far 
more  readily  than  we  part  with  sovereigns.  In 
addition  to  paper  money  and  specie,  the  windows 
of  the  offices  of  the  bullion  dealers  usually  contain 
a  display  of  specimens  of  gold  or  silver  ores.  These 
are  said  in  the  labels  affixed  to  them  to  be  very 
rich  in  the  precious  metals.  But  statements  of 
this  sort  seldom  impose  on  old  and  experienced 
Californians.  About  the  richness  of  lodes  they 
are  as  sceptical  as  cynics  are  about  the  existence  of 
unalloyed  and  genuine  patriotism.  Just  as,  with 
many,  *  patriot '  has  become  a  synonyme  for  im 
postor  or  place-hunter,  so  has  a  lode  of  great 
reputed  value  come  to  be  regarded  by  the  mass 
of  Californians  as  worth  little  more  than  a  large 
property  in  the  moon.  The  difficulty  consists  in 
ascertaining  with  certainty  whether  or  not  the 
specimens  have  been  really  found  in  a  particular 


THE  QUEEN  CITY  OF  THE  PACIFIC  COAST.      269 

spot,  whether  they  fairly  represent  the  lode,  and 
whether,  if  they  have  been  dug  out  of  the  ground 
in  question,  they  had  not  been  discovered  by  those 
who,  like  the  diggers  in  the  e  Antiquary,'  had  con 
cealed  the  specimens  for  the  purpose  of  duping  the 
credulous.  To  prepare  a  mine  in  such  a  way  that 
it  may  appear  to  be  extremely  rich  in  valuable 
mineral  is  called  '  salting '  it.  At  this  art  many 
persons  in  California,  Nevada,  and  Montana  are 
practised  adepts,  and  the  desire  of  the  majority  is 
to  escape  falling  into  the  trap  ingeniously  and  care 
fully  baited  for  them.  When  these  things  were 
explained  to  me,  I  ceased  to  wonder  at  the  reluc 
tance  of  the  capitalists  here  to  secure  for  themselves 
shares  in  the  gold  and  silver  mines,  which  were 
offered  for  sale  on  the  most  advantageous  terms. 

At  its  northern  end  Montgomery-street  extends 
to  the  top  of  a  steep  hill.  The  latter  portion  is  so 
precipitous  that  carriages  cannot  ascend  it.  A 
flight  of  steps  enables  the  foot  passenger  to  mount 
with  comparative  comfort.  From  the  top  a  com 
manding  view  is  had  of  the  bay,  the  opposite  coast, 
and  the  business  quarter  of  the  city.  I  was  sur 
prised  to  see  the  greater  part  of  the  lower  town 
enveloped  in  a  dense  cloud  of  smoke.  A  large 
number  of  tail  chimneys  were  emitting  volumes  of 
smoke  such  as  in  London  would  entail  heavy  fines 


270  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

on  their  proprietors.  The  reason  was  that  Mount 
Diablo  coal  is  burned  in  the  furnaces,  and  this  coal, 
as  I  have  already  said,  has  the  drawback  of  giving 
forth  much  black  smoke  during  combustion.  The 
darkness  and  dinginess  of  the  city  surprised  me 
less,  knowing,  as  I  did,  that  the  coal  was  in  fault, 
than  did  the  sight  of  so  many  manufactories.  I 
had  supposed  San  Francisco  to  be  a  second  Liver 
pool  :  I  was  not  prepared  to  find  that  it  was  also  a 
second  Birmingham. 

On  inquiry  I  learned  that  the  inhabitants  of  this 
city  take  pride  in  the  fact  that  the  manufactories 
of  California  are  sufficient  to  meet  nearly  all  the 
requirements  of  her  citizens.  There  are  several 
woollen  mills  here.  The  magnitude  of  the  work 
done  in  these  mills  may  be  inferred  when  I  state 
that  in  one  the  amount  paid  in  wages  is  6,0007. 
monthly,  and  that  upwards  of  one  million  and  a 
half  pounds  of  the  raw  material  are  annually  con 
verted  into  woollen  fabrics.  Indeed,  the  blankets 
and  flannels  of  California  deserve  a  reputation  even 
more  extended  than  that  which  they  enjoy.  In 
fineness  of  texture  they  resemble  the  clelicate  hand- 
wrought  fabrics  for  which  Shetland  is  famous, 
rather  than  the  corresponding  articles  produced  by 
machinery  in  English  mills.  As  railway  wrappers 
and  overcoats  this  blanket  material  is  much  in 


THE  QUEEN  CITY  OF  THE  PACIFIC  COAST.      271 

vogue  here,  and  certainly  there  is  nothing  I  have 
seen  which  can  be  said  to  surpass  it.  In  these 
woollen  mills  the  operatives  are  chiefly  Chinese. 
In  some,  employment  is  given  to  hundreds  of 
women ;  but  the  rule  is  to  employ  Chinamen  in 
the  proportion  of  two-thirds  to  that  of  one-third 
white  men.  The  boots  and  shoes  which  the  Cali- 
fornians  wear  are  not  merely  home-made,  but  the 
leather  is  a  home  product  also.  One  large  esta 
blishment,  '  The  Pacific  Tannery  and  Boot  and  Shoe 
Factory,'  combines  the  double  business  of  preparing 
the  leather  and  working  it  up  for  wear.  This  is  a 
marvellous  change  since  the  day  when  the  raw 
hides  were  shipped  in  order  to  be  carried  to  New 
England,  returning  after  many  days  in  the  form  of 
boots  and  shoes ;  and  what  adds  to  the  wonder  is, 
that  little  more  than  thirty  years  have  elapsed 
since  the  period  when  the  only  commerce  of  Cali 
fornia  was  the  export  of  these  raw  hides.  The 
cotton  mills  are  less  flourishing  than  the  woollen 
ones.  The  supply  of  home-grown  cotton  is  but 
small.  A  large  quantity  is  imported  from  the 
Atlantic  States,  and  it  is  employed  in  producing 
the  coarser  varieties  of  cotton  goods.  In  other 
departments  of  industry  an  activity  not  less  notable 
is  persistently  manifested.  There  are  saw  manu 
factories  which  rival  those  of  Sheffield ;  locomotive 


272  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

and  steam-engine  works  which  compare  favourably 
with  those  of  Philadelphia  and  Newcastle  ;  rolling 
mills,  which  are  admitted  to  be  most  complete  in 
their  arrangements.     The  iron  safes,  manufactured 
by  one  firm  have  a  high  reputation,  and   are   said 
to    defy    alike    the    ingenuity    and     force    of    the 
burglar.      If   I   mentioned   all   the   mechanical  in 
dustries  which  flourish  here,  I  should  fill  a  long  list 
with  names  and  descriptions.     Suffice   it,   then,   to 
say  that  the  most  important  are  well  represented, 
and  that  all  are  flourishing 

In  addition  to  the  manufactories  just  named,  and 
in  which  San  Francisco  is  tho  competitor  with 
many  cities  in  America  and  England,  there  are 
branches  of  industry  in  which  California  has  entered 
the  lists  with  France  and  Germany,  with  Italy  and 
Asia.  One  of  these  is  silk  culture.  It  has  been 
proved  that  *  silk  raising '  is  possible  throughout  the 
entire  State,  from  the  mountains  on  the  east  to  the 
sea  shore  on  the  west,  and  from  Arizona  Territory 
on  the  south  to  the  State  of  Oregon  on  the  north. 
The  climate  is  said  to  be  so  favourable  to  the  pro 
cess  as  to  lighten  the  labours  of  those  who  have  to 
superintend  it,  and  that  one  person  in  California 
can  do  the  work  of  six  in  Europe.  If  the  state 
ments  made  are  trustworthy,  and  if  the  end  should 
not  belie  the  promise  of  the  beginning,  there  is  good 


THE  QUEEN  CITY  OF  THE  PACIFIC  COAST.     273 

ground  for  the  prediction  that  the  State  of  Cali 
fornia  will  yet  become  the  largest  silk-producing 
region  in  the  world.  Silk-weaving  has  already  been 
attempted,  and  machinery  for  carrying  on  operations 
on  a  large  scale  is  in  course  of  construction.  The 
success  of  the  silk  culture  has  been  placed  beyond 
doubt.  But  the  cultivation  of  the  tea  plant  and  the 
production  of  tea  are  still  in  the  experimental  stage. 
I  found  no  fears  entertained  as  to  the  result. 
Hitherto  all  has  gone  well.  The  Japanese,  who 
have  come  hither  to  cultivate  the  tea  plant,  have 
succeeded  as  far  as  they  have  gone,  the  plants  having 
thriven  as  rapidly  as  could  have  been  desired,  and 
giving  promise  of  yielding  a  satisfactory  tea  crop 
when  they  come  to  maturity  two  years  hence.  The 
culture  of  the  vine,  like  the  production  of  silk, 
has  passed  out  of  the  domain  of  experiment,  and 
acquired  rank  among  the  most  remunerative  and 
successful  of  Californian  industries.  Looking  east 
ward  across  the  bay,  extensive  vineyards  and 
orchards  may  be  discerned.  On  inquiry,  it  is  as 
certained  that  year  after  year  the  area  of  land 
devoted  to  the  growth  of  vines  is  extending  in 
various  parts  of  the  State.  Most  pleasing  of  all 
is  the  fact  that  the  land  thus  devoted  to  the  grape 
has  not  been  withdrawn  from  the  corn  plant.  It 
resembles  those  patches  of  soil  which,  on  the  banks 


274  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

of  the  Rhine,  cannot  be  used  for  any  other  purpose 
than  to  grow  vines,  and  which  as  vineyards  are 
valuable  beyond  measure.  Before  being  set  apart 
for  vine-growing  purposes  the  land  here  is  valued  at 
25  cents  the  acre;  after  the  vines  have  come  to 
maturity  its  value  rises  to  more  dollars  than  the 
cents  for  which  it  was  purchased.  A  notion  of  the 
extent  of  the  wine  trade  may  be  formed  from  this, 
that  the  estimate  for  1868  was  seven  millions  of 
gallons  of  wine  as  the  product  of  the  vintage.  In 
1869  the  yield  was  expected  to  be  larger  still, 
though  1869  is  not  considered  a  good  year. 

The  Jesuit  missionaries  first  planted  vines  in 
California,  and  the  wine  made  from  these  grapes  is 
by  no  means  the  worst  among  the  wines  produced 
now.  Nevertheless,  in  1861  the  State  authorities 
resolved  upon  importing  cuttings  from  the  vines 
in  the  most  celebrated  wine-producing  districts  of 
Europe,  and  hundreds  of  different  varieties  were  im 
ported.  Of  these  250  are  now  in  fruit-bearing  con 
dition,  and  all  of  them  have  retained  their  European 
characteristics,  with  this  exception,  that  here  the 
grapes  ripen  more  thoroughly,  and  are  richer  in 
saccharine  matter  than  the  grapes  of  Europe. 
Among  the  Californian  wines  are  some  resembling 
sherry,  madeira,  claret,  hock,  burgundy,  port,  and 
champagne.  The  sparkling  wine  is  distinguishable 


THE  QUEEN  CITY  OF  THE  PACIFIC  COAST.     275 

from  the  best  among  French  champagnes  only  in 
being  newer  and  less  perfectly  matured.  None 
have  those  drawbacks  which  render  Cape  wines 
unpopular.  I  do  not  wish  it  to  be  supposed  that 
all  the  wine  made  in  California  is  palatable  and 
pleasant.  The  first  bottle  I  tasted  in  a  San  Fran 
cisco  hotel  was  disagreeable  and  disappointing.  I 
have  been  told,  however,  that  two  systems  prevail 
here,  and  that  the  results  of  each  differ  widely  and 
materially.  The  one  consists  in  making  wine  from 
the  grapes  grown  in  the  vineyard  possessed  by  an 
individual  or  a  company,  the  other  in  purchasing  all 
wine  of  a  certain  quality  and  standard  from  the 
growers,  and  then  preparing  it  for  the  market.  The 
latter  is  the  practice  of  the  most  notable  firms  in 
the  wine-growing  districts  of  France  and  Germany. 
The  large  establishment  in  Jackson-street,  San 
Francisco,  of  which  Mr.  Landsberger  is  the  head, 
is  conducted  on  the  European  model.  For  the  pro 
duction  of  what  he  honestly  calls  sparkling  Cali 
fornia  wine,  Mr.  Landsberger  has  already  made 
himself  a  name.  It  is  but  two  years  and  a-half 
since  he  first  began  to  supply  this  wine,  and  he  now 
produces  12,000  bottles  monthly.  For  other  wines, 
such  as  port  and  white  and  red  Sonoma,  the  monthly 
demand  is  equal  to  five  hundred  dozen.  The  spark 
ling  wine  is  his  greatest  triumph.  Were  it  not  so 
13 


276  WESTWARD  BY  KAIL. 

new,  it  might  be  ranked  with  some  of  the  best 
European  vintages.  Chinamen  are  employed  in  the 
several  stages  of  manufacture.  They  are  not  quick 
workers,  but  they  are  painstaking  and  trustworthy. 
Whatever  they  do  is  done  thoroughly.  One  ad 
vantage  this  establishment  has  over  those  on  the 
Rhine,  the  Moselle,  and  in  the  Champagne  dis 
trict,  consists  in  dark  underground  cellars  being 
dispensed  with,  the  several  processes  being  carried 
on  and  the  rows  of  bottles  stacked  in  large  and  light 
and  airy  apartments.  A  change  in  the  barometer  is 
not  dreaded.  No  precautions  have  to  be  taken  to 
keep  the  temperature  from  suddenly  rising  too  high 
or  as  suddenly  falling  very  low.  This  adds  to  the 
ease  with  which  the  operations  can  be  carried  on, 
while  it  conduces  to  the  perfect  maturing  of  the 
wine.  A  few  years  hence  the  wines  which  have 
been  made  and  kept  here  will  rival  if  not  far  surpass 
the  wines  imported  from  Europe.  They  have  the 
attraction  of  cheapness  as  well  as  that  of  genuineness 
and  excellence  in  quality.  They  cost  one-half  less 
than  imported  wines.  Strange  to  say,  notwithstand 
ing  all  these  recommendations  the  chief  market  for 
Californian  wines  is  not  the  State  of  California. 
They  are  readily  purchased  in  Chicago  and  New 
York,  while  in  San  Francisco  they  are  not  half  so 
popular  as  the  more  expensive,  but  not  better  wines 


THE  QUEEN  CITY  OF  THE  PACIFIC  COAST.     277 

which  have  been  brought  from  Europe,  and  which  are 
sold  at  a  high  price.  At  present  wheat  is  the  only 
native  article  of  produce  which  is  exported  to  Eng 
land  on  a  large  scale.  The  trade  is  still  in  its  infancy. 
Not  till  very  recently  did  the  farmers  of  California 
learn  that  Liverpool  was  the  best  market  for  their 
grain.  On  account  of  its  extreme  dryness  and  its 
general  superiority  over  the  grain  of  other  countries, 
the  wheat  grown  in  California  sells  at  a  higher 
price  than  the  wheat  which  is  grown  elsewhere.  This 
discovery  has  stimulated  production.  In  1860  the 
wheat  crop  was  5,928,470  bushels.  It  was  more 
than  double  this  amount  in  1865.  In  1866  it 
amounted  to  14,080,752  bushels.  It  may  now  be 
rated  at  twenty  millions  of  bushels,  with  the  proba 
bility  of  indefinite  and  continuous  increase.  Thanks 
to  Free  Trade  the  poor  of  London  are  not  only 
blessed  with  a  cheap  loaf,  but  they  are  certain  to 
have  the  farmers  of  icy  Russia  competing  with  the 
farmers  of  sunny  California  in  order  to  supply  them 
with  wheat. 

A  walk  through  the  markets  of  this  city  suffices 
to  convince  the  visitor  that  in  this  State  the  neces 
saries  of  life  are  furnished  in  unexampled  profusion, 
and  on  a  most  extensive  scale.  Fish  and  game 
are  plentiful  and  cheap.  All  the  common  fruits 
and  vegetables  are  to  be  had  for  a  trifle,  while  fruits 


278  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

-which  are  luxuries  elsewhere  are  here  within  the 
reach  of  the  multitude.  Nor  is  this  abundance  the 
most  noteworthy  circumstance.  The  change  from 
summer  to  winter  is  discerned  with  difficulty  in  the 
market-place.  As  far  as  the  supply  of  vegetables 
and  of  most  fruits  is  concerned  there  is  neither 
seed-time  nor  harvest.  In  this  favoured  city  pota 
toes  are  always  new,  and  strawberries  always  in 
season.  The  size  of  many  products  of  the  garden 
and  orchard  is  gigantic.  The  huge  turnips, -cab 
bages,  pears,  and  apples  which  at  home  form  the 
subjects  of  paragraphs  during  the  dull  season,  are 
here  substantial  and  purchasable  realities.  Now 
and  then  an  unusually  large  natural  product  is  sent 
to  the  newspaper  offices  of  San  Francisco  for  the 
inspection  of  the  proprietors.  I  was  in  the  office 
of  the  Alfa  California  when  some  stalks  of  Indian 
corn  which  had  been  grown  at  San  Diego,  a  locality 
which  wiseacres  had  pronounced  unsuited  for -the 
growth  of  the  plant,  were  examined  and  measured. 
The  tallest  were  17  J  feet;  the  others  were  15. 
Fancy  a  field  covered  with  stalks  like  these  !  Yet 
it  would  not  be  more  extraordinary  than  the  groves 
of  trees  at  Mariposa  or  Calevaras,  of  which  the 
trunks  are  30  feet  in  diameter  and  300  feet  in 
height.  Indeed,  everything  is  on  a  large  scale  here. 
The  Bay  is  50  miles  long ;  the  steamships  which 


THE  QUEEN  CITY  OF  TEE  PACIFIC  COAST.     279 

ply  between  this  port  and  China  or  Japan  are  of 
4,000  tons  burden;  some  farms  cover  an  area  of 
30,000  acres.  A  farmer,  when  speaking  to  me 
about  his  affairs,  incidentally  mentioned  that  he  was 
then  holding  120  tons  weight  of  wheat  in  the  hope 
that  prices  would  rise  at  Liverpool.  He  mentioned 
this  not  as  a. boast,  but  merely  as  a  piece  of  informa 
tion.  Indeed,  the  contrast  between  the  Californians 
and  the  New  Englanders  is  very  marked.  The 
latter  are  remarkable  for  ingenuity  in  detail.  They 
beat  the  world  in  producing  machines  which  enable 
one  man  or  woman  to  do  the  work  of  many  hands. 
The  Californians  have  invented  no  machine  for  peel 
ing  apples  or  shelling  peas,  but  they  have  carried  a 
railway  over  the  Sierras,  have  filled  up  a  portion  of 
their  great  Bay,  in  order  to  add  new  wharves  and 
streets  to  San  Francisco,  and  have  levelled  hills,  in 
order  to  make  the  streets  of  that  city  more  con 
venient  and  the  dwellings  more  commodious. 

The  public  buildings  are  not  objects  of  great 
note,  yet  several  of  the  banks  and  merchants'  offices 
are  noble  erections.  Four  of  the  hotels  are  equal 
in  size  and  arrangement  to  the  largest  and  best 
appointed  hotels  in  New  York.  The  churches  are 
the  most  striking  and  imposing  edifices  in  the  city. 
The  Jews  of  San  Francisco  have  erected  one  of 
the  finest  synagogues  in  the  United  States.  There 


280  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

are  two  Roman  Catholic  Cathedrals.  All  the  best 
knows  sects  of  Protestants  have  their  own  places  of 
worship,  the  churches  of  the  Episcopalians  being 
the  most  attractive,  and  the  Episcopalians  them 
selves  forming  the  most  numerous  sect.  They 
occupy  the  place  in  California  which  the  Unitarians 
occupy  in  New  England.  I  confess  to  have  been 
surprised  to  find  the  press  of  San  Francisco  not 
merely  flourishing,  but  meriting  a  eulogy  which 
cannot  justly  be  conferred  on  the  press  of  New 
York  as  a  whole.  The  articles  in  the  Alta  Cali 
fornia,  for  example,  are  animated  by  a  praiseworthy 
spirit  of  impartiality,  and  are  singularly  free  from 
blemishes  due  to  the  prejudice  which  hinders  the 
comprehension  of  anything  outside  the  writer's 
narrow  sphere  of  personal  experience  and  limited 
observation.  Having  complex  problems  to  solve 
with  relation  to  China  and  Japan,  and  finding  that 
these  problems  are  treated  by  the  journalists  of  the 
Eastern  States  in  a  flippant  and  foolish  style,  the 
journalists  of  San  Francisco  are  not  prone  to  regard 
the  opinions  of  the  New  York  papers  on  subjects 
of  general  concern  as  worthy  of  implicit  confidence 
and  unalloyed  respect.  Unfortunately,  the  journals 
of  New  York  are  supposed  in  Europe  to  represent 
the  American  press,  and  the  least  reputable  of  these 
journals  is  generally,  though  erroneously,  considered 


THE  QUEEN  CITY  OF  THE  PACIFIC  COAST.     281 

to  be  the  leader  of  that  press.  In  addition  to  the 
Alta  California,  there  is  the  Bulletin,  also  a  first- 
class  paper,  while  the  Morning  Call  is  a  journal 
filled  with  chit-chat  and  gossip,  retailed  with  a  view 
to  piquancy  and  effect,  and  without  marked  con 
sideration  for  the  rules  of  etiquette  and  the  canons 
of  good  taste.  Among  weekly  journals,  the  Golden 
City  and  Sunday  Mercury  are  what  Americans 
would  call ( real  live  papers.'  A  monthly  magazine 
entitled  the  Overland  Monthly  has  recently  been 
established.  Already,  it  is  acknowledged  to  be.  one 
of  the  best  among  American  periodicals.  Several 
English  periodicals  of  repute  are  infinitely  inferior 
to  it.  With  considerable  difficulty  could  many 
magazines  be  named  which  are  both  better  written 
and  more  worthy  of  being  read  through  from  the 
first  page  to  the  last.  Its  articles  on  the  affairs  of 
China,  Japan,  and  of  the  Pacific  slope,  are  filled 
with  details  which  are  invaluable.  Having  become 
acquainted  with  the  press  of  this  city,  I  am  disposed 
to  concur  with  the  compiler  of  a  guide-book,  who, 
after  naming  the  several  journals,  and  indicating 
their  character,  thus  concludes  his  remarks : — *  If 
among  these  papers  you  can  find  nothing  to  suit 
you,  nothing  new,  why,  then,  we  advise  you  to  read 
the  Bible,  and  profit  by  its  teachings.' 

When  the  citizens  of  San  Francisco  are  anxious 


282  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

to  exchange  the  air  of  the  city  for  that  of  the  open 
country,  they  can  easily  gratify  their  longing.  If 
they  sail  across  the  bay  to  Alameda  or  Oakland, 
they  are  in  a  beautiful  country  and  surrounded  by 
new  scenes.  Santa  Clara  and  San  Matteo,  on  the 
south,  can  be  reached  by  rail,  and  there  sights  which 
recall  the  magic  gardens  of  the  Arabian  Nights 
may  be  beheld  and  enjoyed.  A  shorter  and  more 
popular  excursion  is  to  the  Cliff  House,  which  is 
five  miles  distant  from  the  city,  and  built  on  the 
shore  of  the  Pacific  Ocean.  In  front  of  the  house 
may  be  seen  the  sea  lions,  a  species  of  seal,  gam 
bolling  on  the  rocks,  over  which  the  heavy  ocean 
swell  rolls  and  foams.  In  the  house  itself  a  pleasant 
meal  may  be  enjoyed.  Indeed,  the  Cliff  House  is 
to  San  Francisco  what  the  Trafalgar  at  Greenwich 
is  to  London,  and  what  Taft's  at  Point  Shirley  is  to 
Boston. 


283 


XXI. 

THE  '  TIGEBS'  AND  CHINESE  IN  SAN  FfiANCISCO. 

ONE  afternoon,  after  having  been  treated  to  drinks 
at  the  bar  of  the  Cosmopolitan  Hall  by  Californian 
friends,  I  had  some  interesting  talk  with  a  gentle 
man  to  whom  I  had  been  introduced,  and  with 
whom,  as  with  several  others,  I  had  formed  a  drink 
ing  acquaintance.  He  was  a  man  of  middle  age,  of 
quiet  demeanour  and  pleasant  manners.  He  re 
sembled  a  gentleman  who  had  retired  from  business 
after  having  made  his  fortune  as  a  banker  or  a 
solicitor.  Like  the  rest  of  his  countrymen  he  con 
versed  with  fluency  on  the  most  various  topics,  from 
the  prospects  of  gold-mining  to  the  nature  of  the 
Alabama  claims.  He  resembled  his  countrymen 
also  in  being  as  f  cocksure  about  everything '  as 
Lord  Melbourne  asserted  that  Macaulay  was.  I 
had  previously  been  fortunate  enough  to  make  the 
acquaintance  of  distinguished  lawyers,  and  of  one 
who  was  about  to  leave  the  bar  for  the  career  of 
diplomacy,  having  been  appointed  United  States 


284  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

Minister  at  an  Eastern  court.  Between  these 
gentlemen,  one  of  whom  now  occupies  the  highest 
judicial  office  in  the  gift  of  the  citizens  of  San 
Francisco,  the  Minister  to  whom  I  have  referred, 
others  who  were  considered  notable  men  by  their 
fellow-countrymen,  and  the  gentleman  of  agreeable 
talk  and  smooth  demeanour,  no  external  difference 
was  perceptible.  Shortly  before  parting  he  told  me 
that  he  was  engaged  in  the  pasteboard  business^ 
and  that  I  might  possibly  like  to  visit  his  establish 
ment.  As  I  had  come  here  in  order  to  see  every 
thing  of  a  novel  and  interesting  kind,  I  expressed 
my  readiness  to  pay  a  visit  to  his  pasteboard  manu 
factory.  Perceiving  that  I  had  misapprehended 
him,  my  acquaintance  entered  into  an  explanation, 
in  the  course  of  which  he  asked  me  if  I  had  ever 
heard  of  Faro,  and  if  I  knew  the  meaning  of 
'  Fighting  the  Tiger.'  Soon  afterwards  I  learned 
that  I  was  conversing  with  the  keeper  of  one  of  the 
most  notable  among  the  gaming  hells  of  San  Fran 
cisco.  He  was  a  prosperous  man  and  a  respected 
citizen.  lie  courteously  invited  me  to  visit  his 
establishment,  which,  he  said,  I  should  find  open  all 
the  night.  He  added  that  he  would  rather  I  did 
not  play,  as  he  should  regret  were  I  to  lose  money 
after  having  come  at  his  invitation.  These  kindly 
sentiments  I  reciprocated,  assuring  him  that  ho 


'TIGERS'  AND  CHINESE  IN  SAN  FRANCISCO.      285 

would  not  grieve  more  bitterly  and  sincerely  than  I 
should  were  I  to  lose  my  money  while  madly  en 
gaged  in  ( Fighting  the  Tiger.'  The  following 
description  of  what  I  saw  will  give  a  fair  notion 
of  these  banks  as  a  whole,  without  reference  to  any 
particular  one. 

Admittance  into  a  Faro  Bank  is  not  always  a 
matter  of  course.  At  Sacramento,  indeed,  the  one 
which  I  visited  was  accessible  to  any  who  ascended 
the  stairs  leading  to  it.  All  of  them  appear  to  be 
on  the  first  floor,  both  in  Sacramento  and  San 
Francisco.  The  visitor  rings  a  bell,  and  before  the 
door  is  opened  he  is  generally  reconnoitred  through 
a  small  aperture  or  grating.  As  soon  as  the 
guardian  is  satisfied,  either  from  appearances,  or 
from  personal  knowledge,  or  from  the  inspection  of 
a  card  in  the  proprietor's  handwriting,  that  no  ob 
jection  exists,  the  door  is  opened,  the  visitor  takes 
a  few  steps  forward,  and  is  brought  face  to  face 
with  the  s  Tiger.'  He  sees  what  he  is  told  is  a 
Faro  table.  This  table  is  small,  and  will  not  ac 
commodate  more  than  six  or  eight  persons.  The 
dealer  occupies  one  side,  and  sits  with  his  back  to 
the  wall.  Facing  him,  one  of  the  players  holds  a 
marking-board,  on  which  the  cards,  whereof  the 
chances  are  exhausted,  are  scored  for  the  informa 
tion  alike  of  the  players  and  the  lookers-on.  A 


t 
286  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

double  row  of  cards,  with  the  faces  uppermost,  is 
fastened  to  the  table.     On  these  cards  the  stakes 
are  placed.     The  cards  in  play  are  dealt  from  a 
small  box  which  holds  them,  so  that  but  one  at  a 
time  can  be  separated  from  the  pack.     Two  cards 
are  dealt  in  succession — the  one  being  put  along 
side  the  box,  the  other  a  little  way  from  it.     The 
card  which  falls  either  near  to,  or  away  from  the 
box  determines  the  result  of  the  stakes  in  the  row 
of  cards  nearest  to   or  farthest  from  the   dealer. 
Indeed,  the  game    is    but  a    complicated    Blind 
Hookey.     It  is,  perhaps,  even  better  adapted  for 
ensuring  the  loss  of  money  on  the  part  of  the 
players  than  Roulette  or  Rouge-et-Noir.     I  was 
told  that  the  difficulty  of  cheating  is  greater  at  Faro 
than  at  other  games  of  chance,  and  this  consideration 
has  tended  to  render  it  popular.     The  Californians 
may  be  great  gamesters,  but  they  naturally  prefer  a 
game  played  with  some  regard  for  fairness,  or  one 
which  they  style  a  '  square  '  game.     In  some  of  the 
rooms  I  visited  the  coloured  photo-lithograph  of  a 
Bengal  tiger's  head  was  affixed  to  the  wall  above 
the  dealer,  and  facing  the  players.     The  blood-shot 
eyes,  the  rows  of  sharp  fangs  visible  through  the 
half-parted  jaws,    the    general  aspect  of  infinite 
ferocity  which  marks  the  tiger  about  to  pounce 
upon  his  prey,  were  all  effectively  rendered  in  this 


'  TIGERS '  AND  CHINESE  IN  SAN  FRANCISCO.     287 

picture.  It  was  at  once  a  symbol  and  a  warning, 
yet  the  hidden  meaning  excited  no  thought,  and  the 
implied  menace  no  dread. 

As  a  rule,  money  was  not  staked.  The  dealer  or 
banker  sells  ivory  counters  to  the  several  players. 
These  counters  are  of  different  colours  and  sizes,  so 
as  to  represent  different  values.  I  suppose  the 
reason  for  using  counters  to  be  the  evasion  of  the 
law  against  playing  for  money.  In  all  the  hells  the 
costume  of  the  keepers  and  dealers,  or  rather  the 
absence  of  it,  was  the  same,  shirt  sleeves  being  their 
full  dress.  Those  who  superintended  the  game  also 
sat  without  their  coats.  The  shirts  of  all  were 
spotless.  The  superintendents,  dealers,  and  game 
sters  all  smoked  cigars.  Nor  were  their  manners 
more  formal  than  their  apparel.  All  the  company 
seemed  to  be  on  terms  of  intimacy ;  each  one  not 
only  addressed  the  other  by  his  Christian  name,  but 
as  Tom,  Dick,  or  Harry*,  What  conversation  there 
was  consisted  of  trivial  remarks  of  a  personal  kind. 
Between  the  dealers  and  the  players  there  appeared 
to  exist  a  perfect  understanding  that  the  work  in 
hand  was  pure  matter  of  business.  A  player  some 
times  uttered  an  ejaculation  to  the  effect  that  his 
luck  was  bad,  and  received  from  the  dealer  a  few 
pithy  words  of  commiseration.  The  losers,  who  ap 
peared  to  be  in  a  large  majority,  took  their  mishaps 


288  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

most  philosophically,  while  the  rare  winners  did  not 
exult  in  their  good  fortune.  Indeed, f  Fighting  the 
Tiger'  in  San  Francisco  seems  to  be  a  pastime 
which,  if  neither  harmless  nor  praiseworthy,  cannot 
fairly  be  denounced  as  fraught  with  immediate  evil 
consequences.  Were  I  to  venture  on  an  explana 
tion  of  this,  I  should  attribute  it  to  the  fact  that 
those  who  play  at  Faro  have  acquired  their  money 
very  easily  and  rapidly,  and  know  that  if  they 
would  but  take  the  like  pains  they  might  again 
enrich  themselves  by  speculation,  or  by  drawing  a 
prize  in  that  lottery  which  here  goes  by  the  name  of 
gold  and  silver  mining.  To  such  persons,  and 
under  these  conditions,  gaming  is  almost  a  matter  of 
course.  It  is  simply  another  form  of  the  every-day 
life  which  men  of  business  consider  natural  and 
legitimate.  It  cannot  be  said  that  there  are  extra 
neous  provocations  to  spur  on  the  jaded  gamesters. 
In  some  of  the  hells  a  supper  is  provided,  but  this  is 
merely  what  their  frequenters  can  get  gratis  at 
nearly  every  bar-room.  A  drink  may  be  had  for  the 
asking ;  but  this,  again,  is  not  a  special  incentive, 
but  a  part  of  the  ordinary  social  arrangements. 
Californians  do  not  seem  happy  unless  they  are 
either  taking  drinks  or  treating  their  friends  and 
acquaintances  to  them.  That  they  should  find 
drinks  provided  for  them  in  the  gaming  hells  is 


TIGERS'  AND  CHINESE  IN  SAN  FRANCISCO.      289 

merely  what  they  consider  themselves  entitled  to 
expect.  I  believe  that  the  law  forbids  gaming,  and 
I  have  been  informed  that  the  amount  of  gaming 
indulged  in  now  is  but  a  fraction  of  what  was 
openly  permitted  a  few  years  ago.  What  goes  on 
at  present  is  supposed  to  be  continued  in  defiance 
of  the  law.  Perhaps  the  authorities  wink  at  what 
they  cannot  entirely  repress,  and  make  no  sign  so 
long  as  public  scandal  is  eschewed.  One  of  the 
keepers  of  a  Faro  Bank  told  me  that  the  police  had 
sometimes  put  the  law  in  force  against  him,  but 
that  the  only  serious  result  was  a  payment  by  him 
of  1,000  dollars  as  a  fine.  TJiis  diminished  his 
profits,  but  neither  this  penalty  nor  any  other 
punishment  entailed  the  closing  of  his  establishment 
and  his  own  ruin.  Lest  it  be  supposed  that  the 
prevalence  of  gaming  proves  the  utter  demoralisa 
tion  of  the  Californians,  I  must  add  that  Faro 
Banks  are  to  be  found  elsewhere  throughout  the 
Union,  and  that  in  no  city  are  they  more  flourishing 
than  in  New  York.  I  have  described  them  as  they 
exist  in  San  Francisco  and  Sacramento,  because 
they  are  among  the  sights  of  these  places.  (  Fight 
ing  the  Tiger '  is  an  occupation  which  is  usually 
conducted  without  any  bloodshed,  with  but  little 
loss  of  temper,  and  with  no  more  marked  result 
than  that  of  furnishing  a  practical  illustration  to 


290  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

the  old  saw  that  fools  and  their  money  are  soon 
parted. 

While  assured  that  I  might  enter  a  gaming  hell 
without  dread  of  pickpockets,  sharpers,  or  bullies,  I 
was  told  by  the  same  persons  that  to  explore  the 
Chinese  quarter  was  a  very  different  and  far  more 
dangerous  undertaking.  Sir  Charles  Dilke  relates 
in  his  '  Greater  Britain,'  that  when  he  went  through 
this  quarter  he  was  accompanied  by  two  detectives, 
who,  if  they  aided  his  researches,  also  acted  as  a 
drag  on  his  movements.  Holding  the  opinion  that 
when  the  gratification  of  curiosity,  not  the  prosecu 
tion  of  business,  is  the  object,  guides  are  incum- 
brances,  I  resolved  upon  seeing  as  much  as  I  could 
without  presenting  my  introduction  to  the  police 
authorities,  and  availing  myself  of  the  aid  which 
they  would  doubtless  have  rendered  with  readiness 
and  courtesy.  An  experienced  Californian  of  my 
acquaintance,  whose  company  I  requested,  spoke  in 
strong  terms  of  the  folly  of  running  the  risk  pro 
posed,  and  refused  to  join  me.  I  thought  then  that 
he  exaggerated  the  danger,  in  the  same  way  that 
dwellers  among  the  Alps  and  the  Pyrenees  arc- 
wont  to  exaggerate  the  peril  of  crossing  a  glacier  or 
scaling  a  mountain,  and  now  I  feel  convinced  that 
I  was  right. 

In  every  street  Chinamen  are  to  be  seen  engaged 


'TIGERS'  AND  CHINESE  IN  SAN  FRANCISCO.     291 

in  some  occupation  of  a  menial  kind.  They  may 
be  met  with  ascending  the  stairs  of  the  hotels  with 
baskets  filled  with  clean  linen ;  in  some  hotels  they 
officiate  as  servants.  According  to  a  return  made 
to  the  State  Legislature,  the  number  of  Chinese  on 
the  Pacific  slope  is  89,500.  What  proportion  of 
them  inhabits  San  Francisco  is  a  matter  of  un 
certainty.  Some  persons  estimate  it  at  thirty 
thousand.  But,  though  San  Francisco  is  not  a 
very  populous  city,  yet,  as  it  covers  a  vast  area, 
thirty  thousand  Chinamen  might  be  quartered  in 
one  of  its  long  streets  or  spacious  squares  without 
attracting  general  notice,  or  without  being,  often 
seen  by  the  pedestrian  walking  along  the  principal 
thoroughfares.  Let  any  one,  however,  turn  acci 
dentally  or  intentionally  to  the  left  after  traversing 
Montgomery-street  almost  to  its  northern  extre 
mity,  and  he  is  suddenly  transported  into  a  new 
region.  A  few  steps  behind  him  are  the  shops, 
dwellings,  manners,  apparel  and  language  of  Eng 
land  and  America,  while  before  his  eyes  are  the 
people,  the  shops,  the  houses  of  the  natives  of  that 
curious  and  over-populated  land,  which  is  meta 
phorically  styled  Flowery  or  Celestial,  and  in 
simple  speech  is  called  China,  or  Cathay.  My  first 
visit  to  the  Chinese  quarter  was  made  by  daylight. 
I  entered  it  without  design,  having  no  exact  know- 


292  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

ledge  of  the  locality  in  which  the  Chinese  had  made 
their  homes  in  this  city.  The  effect  was  as  startling 
as  the  transformation  scene  in  a  pantomime,  with 
this  difference,  that  the  personages  are  neither 
fairies  nor  sprites,  neither  princes  nor  princesses  in 
difficulties,  beings  of  unearthly  mould  gifted  with 
supernatural  powers.  Nor  did  the  Chinamen 
whom  I  saw  resemble  clown,  pantaloon,  or  colum 
bine  in  dress  or  demeanour.  They  were  clothed  in 
plainly- cut  blue  tunics,  had  straw  or  cloth  cover 
ings  on  their  heads,  and  shoes  on  their  feet  resem 
bling  slippers  down  at  the  heels.  The  shops  were 
adorned  with  pendent  flags  bearing  inscriptions  in 
Chinese.  An  entire  street  was  filled  with  these 
strangely  decorated  and  as  strangely  arranged 
shops.  In  some  of  them  merchants  of  the  highest 
respectability  do  business,  and  accumulate  wealth: 
The  articles  they  sell  arc  the  best  of  their  kind, 
and  as  these  merchants  are  satisfied  with  small 
profits,  the  low  prices  attract  purchasers.  Other 
industries  than  those  of  dealers  in  tea,  silks,  lac 
quered  ware,  and  porcelain  are  carried  on  in  a 
humbler  style  by  men  of  less  ambition  and  capital. 
In  cellars  which  are  certainly  dark,  and  probably 
unhealthy,  silent  Chinamen  may  be  seen  washing 
or  ironing  clothes,  manufacturing  cigars,  or  shaving 
the  heads  of  their  conntrvmen.  Here  and  there  a 


'TIGEKS'  AND  CHINESE  IN  SAN  FRANCISCO.     293 

shoemaker  is  actively  engaged  in  making  the  semi- 
slippers  which  the  Chinamen  wear,  or  else  repairing 
old  ones  with  extraordinary  neatness  and  patient 
care.  Now  and  then  a  butcher's  shop,  filled  with 
joints  of  new  shape,  attracts  attention,  while  cook- 
shops,  filled  with  prepared  viands,  which,  if  savoury, 
are  very  uninviting,  are  also  very  plentiful.  At 
the  corner  of  a  street  I  remarked  a  lofty  stone 
building,  which  proved  to  be  a  Chinese  hotel.  As 
no  objection  was  made  to  my  entering  it  and 
inspecting  the  arrangements,  I  had  an  opportunity 
of  seeing  the  Chinaman  at  home.  Within  the  door 
on  the  right  a  porter  or  clerk  sits  with  a  book 
before  him  corresponding  to  the  visitor's  book  of 
other  hotels.  When  I  saw  him  he  was  engaged  in 
making  out  the  accounts  of  the  several  occupants, 
and  producing  bills  which  were  long  in  a  material 
sense,  inasmuch  as  they  were  written  lengthwise 
on  narrow  strips  of  paper.  Opposite  to  where  he 
sat  was  what  appeared  to  be  a  kitchen  combined 
with  a  butcher's  and  poulterer's  shop.  Plucked 
fowls  with  long  yellow  necks  were  suspended  in 
rows  by  their  heads,  pieces  of  meat  were  affixed  to 
hooks,  while  beneath  were  vegetables  of  various 
kinds.  I  was  told  that  the  visitors  purchase  their 
own  provisions,  and  either  cook  them  or  employ 
some  one  to  do  so.  The  Chinese  have  the  reputa- 


294  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

tion  of  excelling  as  cooks  ;  they  are  called  the 
French  of  the  East.  They  take  a  great  deal  of 
pains  in  preparing  the  several  dishes,  and  they  excel 
in  sauces.  To  those  unaccustomed  to  their  ways 
one  thing  they  do  excites  surprise.  "Whether  they 
season  a  dish  or  sprinkle  a  shirt  preparatory  to 
ironing  it,  they  adopt  the  same  method  of  proce 
dure.  This  consists  in  filling  their  mouths  with 
water,  and  squirting  the  required  quantity  over  the 
garment.  In  cooking,  they  do  not,  as  I  supposed 
they  did,  simply  spit  into  the  dishes  they  prepare, 
but  they  season  them  by  mixing  the  condiments  in 
their  mouths,  and  then  ejecting  as  much  of  the 
seasoning  as  they  think  necessary.  Those  who 
employ  Chinese  cooks  will  relish  their  meals  all  the 
more  heartily  if  they  never  enter  the  kitchen  when 
they  are  at  work.  The  accommodation  in  this  hotel 
is  not  luxurious,  nor  is  the  furniture  sumptuous. 
A  few  wooden  benches  serve  as  seats,  and  wooden 
shelves  are  couches  by  day  and  beds  at  night. 
Every  inch  of  room  is  turned  to  account.  The 
common  saying  about  being  packed  as  closely  as 
herrings  in  a  barrel  expresses,  with  but  slight  ex 
aggeration,  the  manner  in  which  the  Chinamen  are 
packed  in  this  hotel.  It  appears  large  enough  to 
contain  about  two  hundred  persons ;  as  many  as 
twelve  hundred  are  said  to  occupy  it  during  the 


'TIGERS'  AND  CHINESE  IN  SAN  FRANCISCO.     295 

busy  season.  That  some  do  not  die  of  the  effects 
of  the  overcrowding  is  a  marvel.  But  it  is  even 
more  credible  that  the  mortality  should  not  be 
enormous  from  this  cause  alone  than  that  anyone 
should  be  able  to  inhale  the  indescribably  horrible 
smells  for  an  hour,  and  live. 

Not  far  from  this  hotel  I  passed  an  alley  wherein 
crackers  were  exploding,  and  small  bonfires  burn 
ing.  The  inhabitants  appeared  to  be  making 
holiday.  The  women  were  gaily  dressed,  and  had 
wreaths  of  artificial  flowers  on  their  heads.  I 
fancied  that  a  wedding  was  being  celebrated.  A 
Chinaman,  however,  told  me  that  the  day  was 
Sunday.,  and  that  the  crackers  were  being  let  off, 
the  fires  lit,  and  the  dresses  worn,  in  honour  of  the 
clay.  At  more  than  one  doorstep  a  ceremony  was 
performed  which  bore  a  resemblance  to  the  heathen 
sacrifices  of  antiquity,  whereof  descriptions  have 
been  handed  down  to  us.  A  tray  was  brought,  on 
which  were  three  cups  filled  with  liquid,  a  small 
quantity  of  rice,  several  pieces  of  coloured  paper, 
plaited  into  patterns  like  the  summer  ornaments  of 
a  stove,  and  a  few  slender  sticks  like  the  spills 
used  for  lighting  lamps  or  cigars.  These  sticks,  I 
was  told,  were  sacred  to  e  Jossy.'  They  were  first 
ignited  and  placed  upright  at  the  corner  of  the 
tray,  then  the  coloured  papers  were  set  on  fire,  and, 


296  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

while  they  blazed,  each  of  the  cups  was  emptied 
over  them  in  succession.  Lastly,  the  rice  was 
scattered  abroad  to  different  parts  of  the  compass. 
Although  the  intelligent  Chinaman  to  whom  I 
spoke  told  me  that  the  day  was  Sunday,  yet  I  have 
reason  to  suppose  that  he  used  this  word  for  lack 
of  a  more  suitable  one  wherewith  to  give  an  ex 
planation  of  the  occurrences.  I  learned  afterwards 
that  the  ceremony  was  one  in  which  the  Chinese 
indulge  whenever  they  think  it  necessary  to  lay 
the  devil.  Of  the  infernal  powers  they  stand  in 
great  terror,  and  propitiate  them  with  offerings 
like  those  described.  But  if  this  be  the  case,  it  is 
still  possible  that  the  desire  to  enjoy  a  holiday  and 
make  high  festival  combine  to  render  the  operation 
of  laying  the  devil  one  for  which  they  are  not  sorry 
to  have  an  excuse.  Some  of  the  more  practical 
and  frugal  Chinamen  signify  their  disapproval  of 
this  tendency  by  saying  that  there  is  s  too  muchcc 
debbil  in  Californy.' 

The  Joss  House  which  I  visited  is  in  the 
building  set  apart  as  the  Chinese  Hospital.  The 
room  in  which  the  idol  is  enthroned  in  state,  with 
lights  burning  before  it,  is  a  dingy  apartment. 
When  I  entered  no  priest  nor  any  attendant  was 
present.  An  iconoclast  might  have  done  his  worst 
with  impunity.  On  passing  through  the  rooms  set 


'TIGERS'  AND  CHINESE  IN  SAN  FBANCISCO.      297 

apart  for  the  sick  I  was  surprised  to  see  most  of 
the  patients  at  work.  The  Chinese  do  not  accept 
illness  as  an  excuse  for  idleness.  So  long  as  a 
patient  can  move  his  hands  and  his  feet  he  is  made 
either  to  carry  water,  chop  wood,  or  perform  some 
other  task.  It  was  pitiful  to  see  the  haggard  in 
mates  struggling  over  their  occupations.  Many 
were  in  the  last  stage  of  consumption,  and  several 
were  cripples.  If  the  disgusting  stories  current 
about  the  medicines  used  are  well  founded,  the 
death  of  all  the  patients  who  take  them  is  what 
might  be  expected.  For  a  time  Chinese  doctors 
were  the  fashion.  But  an  analysis  of  the  medicines 
they  prescribed  and  supplied  has  rendered  them  far 
less  popular.  The  ingredients  were  found  to  be 
chosen  rather  on  account  of  their  rarity  and  nasti- 
ness  than  for  any  other  apparent  reason.  These 
doctors  are  not  afflicted  with  modesty  as  to  the 
nature  of  their  powers.  At  the  entrance  to  an 
alley  I  saw  a  sign-board  projecting  from  the  side  of 
the  house,  and  intimating  that  e  Dr.  Hung  Ly 
cures  all  diseases  upstairs.'  In  the  newspapers 
those  doctors  advertise  regularly.  Thus  may  be 
seen  among  other  announcements  one  to  the  effect 
that  Dr.  Jay  Hon  Chung,  graduate  of  the  highest 
medical  college  of  China,  has  opened  an  office  in 
Washington-street : — (  The  most  obstinate  and  pain- 


298  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

ful  chronic  diseases  treated  with  entire  success,  and 
cures  guaranteed.  Dr.  Jay  Hon  Chung  will  make 
no  charge  for  medical  advice  to  those  who  are  too 
poor  to  pay  for  the  same.'  These  doctors  have 
rapidly  and  thoroughly  imitated  the  style  of  adver 
tising  quacks  in  England  and  America.  Perhaps 
it  is  in  order  to  compete  with  them  successfully 
that  the  quacks  who  trade  on  human  credulity  in 
California  are,  if  possible,  even  more  audacious  in 
their  statements  than  their  brethren  elsewhere.  A 
gentleman  of  majestic  stature,  whose  head  was 
adorned  with  long  flowing  locks,  who  styled  himself 
(  The  King  of  Pain,'  was  harvesting  dollars  when  I 
arrived  at  San  Francisco.  He  professed  not  only 
to  cure  all  diseases,  but  also  to  inform  the  patient 
of  his  malady  without  asking  any  questions.  Like 
others  of  his  tribe,  he  had  a  specific  for  the  cure 
of  every  malady  with  which  human  beings  are 
afflicted.  In  disposing  of  this  he  displays  an 
amount  of  ingenuity  which  casts  into  the  shade 
the  advertising  tricks  in  which  English  quacks  are 
adepts.  •  Driving  through  the  city  in  a  handsome 
carriage,  he  halts  now  and  then,  and  makes  a  short 
speech.  While  he  is  retailing  some  of  the  miracu 
lous  cures  which  he  has  effected,  a  passer-by  having 
the  appearance  of  a  sailor,  or  a  mechanic,  stops  and 
exclaims,  ( What's  that  you  say  about  Boston?  * 


'TIGERS'  AND  CHINESE  IN  SAN  FRANCISCO.      299 

The  quack  replies,  ( Sir,  I  have  just  told  these 
gentlemen  how  Mr.  John  A.  Jones,  a  prominent 
citizen  of  Boston,  was  cured  by  a  single  "bottle  of 
this  specific  after  all  the  other  doctors  had  given 
him  up.'  '"Well,  sir,  that's  so.  I  come  from 
Boston,  and  I  know  that  Mr.  Jones  was  cured  by 
a  bottle  of  your  medicine.'  This  independent 
testimony  induces  several  among  the  audience  to 
give  the  '  King  of  Pain's '  specific  a  trial.  He 
then  drives  off,  when  he  can  no  longer  exchange 
his  bottles  for  the  dollars  of  dupes,  and  the  farce  is 
played  over  again  in  another  quarter  of  the  city, 
the  confederate,  of  course,  changing  his  attire  and 
his  story.  It  is  clear  that  the  Chinese  quack 
doctors  will  have  a  hard  struggle  to  keep  them 
selves  abreast  with  their  American  competitors. 

At  night,  when  I  strolled  through  the  Chinese 
quarter  again,  the  spectacle  was  more  curious. 
The  pavement  was  crowded  with  Chinamen  talking 
incessantly  and  in  loud  tones.  Entire  alleys  were 
filled  with  small  houses,  at  the  open  windows  of 
which  painted  female  faces  were  clustered,  and 
whence  invitations,  couched  in  broken  yet  very 
broad  English,  were  sent  to  every  male  passer-by. 
The  theatre  is  easily  found  by  those  who  listen  for 
the  sounds  of  gongs  and  cymbals.  A  quarter  of  a 

dollar   is   charged   for   admission.      As  a  rule  the. 
14 


300  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

Chinese  are  disinclined  to  admit  foreigners  into 
their  theatre.  The  doorkeeper  has  to  be  propi 
tiated  before  he  will  admit  that  a  seat  is  to  be  had. 
Inside,  the  house  is  arranged  after  the  manner  of 
lecture  rooms.  Hows  of  seats  slope  upwards  from 
the  pit  to  the  opposite  wall,  and  above  this  is  a 
gallery.  The  orchestra  is  at  the  back  of  the  stage, 
and  is  composed  of  three  or  four  performers,  who 
keep  up  an  incessant  clashing  of  cymbals  and 
beating  of  gongs.  The  noise  is  overpowering. 
When  all  the  performers  have  momentarily  left 
the  stage,  the  unmelodious  and  ear-rending  sounds 
are  diminished  in  volume ;  but,  when  the  per 
formers  come  forward  and  begin  to  speak,  the 
gongs  are  beaten  and  the  cymbals  clashed  with 
increased  vigour.  It  seemed  as  if  the  object  of 
the  members  of  the  orchestra  was  to  drown  the 
voices  of  the  players.  In  order  to  defeat  this 
design  the  players  yelled  at  the  top  of  their  voices. 
Never  before  did  I  hear  musical  instruments  made 
to  give  forth  louder  and  more  discordant  noises, 
and  human  throats  utter  words  in  equally  shrill 
tones.  As  to  the  merits  or  demerits  of  the  piece 
I  can  say  nothing.  The  first  act  had  been  per 
formed  several  months  ago,  and  the  last  would  not 
be  reached  till  several  months  hence.  Regarded 
simply  as  a  pantomime,  it  was  a  curious  and  clever 


'TIGEKS'  AND  CHINESE  IN  SAN   FRANCISCO.      301 

performance.  Some  of  the  scenes  required  no 
explanation  in  words.  The  love  passages  were,  so 
to  jspeak,  emphasized  in  a  manner  which  rendered 
the  meaning  intended  to  be  conveyed  almost  too 
clear.  The  difficulty  consisted  in  detecting  the 
line  which  separated  acting  from  reality.  Feats  of 
agility  and  trials  of  strength  were  common.  The 
single  combats  were  horribly  real;  spear-thrusts 
being  delivered  with  wonderful  energy,  and  sword- 
cuts  made  with  such  rapidity,  that  they  could  only 
be  eluded  by  the  exercise  of  a  practised  eye,  and 
by  extraordinary  dexterity  of  fence.  When  the 
actors  chased  each  other  along  the  stage,  impedi 
ments  were  surmounted  in  the  style  of  the  circus. 
Over  chairs  and  tables  they  vaulted,  turning  sum 
mersaults  in  the  air  before  alighting  on  the  ground. 
They  fell  heavily,  no  spring-board  or  mattress 
being  placed  to  aid  them  in  jumping  and  to  break 
the  force  of  the  fall.  How  they  escaped  with  their 
ribs  whole  and  their  legs  unbroken  is  incompre 
hensible.  The  costumes  and  make-up  of  the  actors 
were  very  good.  They  always  entered  by  the 
right  door,  and  made  their  exits  by  the  left,  each 
entrance  being  a  sort  of  triumphal  procession.  It 
was  but  seldom  that  the  audience  testified  their 
satisfaction  with  the  performance.  The  attention 
was  ri vetted  on  the  stage,  not  a  sight  being  missed 


302  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

or  a  sound  lost.  Nearly  everyone  had  a  Manilla 
cigar  or  a  cigarette  in  his  mouth,  and  all  smoked 
with  a  deliberation  which  demonstrated  a  desire  to 
enjoy  to  the  full  the  pleasure  of  the  moment. 

The  Chinese  have  their  own  gaming  hells.  The 
stakes  are  small,  but  the  players  never  cease  till 
they  have  lost  everything.  Lotteries  are  also  plen 
tiful.  A  thousand  chances  can  be  bought  for  a 
dollar.  The  tickets  fill  a  small  volume  and  are 
beautifully  ornamented  by  hand.  The  highest  prize 
is  a  thousand  dollars.  Near  the  Chinese  quarter, 
and  in  the  streets  leading  from  it,  are  streets  wherein 
more  danger  is  to  be  feared  than  among  the  Chinese 
themselves.  Nearly  every  house  is  tenanted  by 
women  who,  scantily  dressed  in  gaudy  apparel,  stand 
on  the  door  steps  or  at  the  open  windows,  proclaim 
ing  their  profession  by  look  and  gesture.  Under 
ground  dancing  saloons  are  numerous,  and  in  them 
are  to  be  seen  what  are  here  significantly  styled 
'  pretty  waiter  girls.'  These  saloons  are  but  traps 
baited  and  set  for  the  unwary.  They  are  the  relics 
of  San  Francisco  in  bygone  days,  when  its  very 
existence  was  a  scandal.  The  Vigilance  Committee 
did  invaluable  service  in  clearing  it  of  the  thieves 
and  murderers  who  were  then  a  terror  to  the  peace 
able  and  well-disposed  citizens.  There  is  still  plenty 


'TIGERS'  AND  CHINESE  IN  SAN  FRANCISCO.     303 

of  work  for  the  police  to  perform  in  the  interest  of 
decency  and  good  manners. 

What  impressed  me  most  in  the  Chinese  quarter 
was  not  any  particular  phase  of  life  and  novel  kind 
of  house,  church,  shop,  hotel,  or  theatre,  but  the 
general  aspect  of  the  place,  and  its  inhabitants 
regarded  as  a  whole.  In  China  itself  the  like 
number  of  people  dwelling,  doing  business,  and  en 
joying  themselves  in  the  same  way,  would  not  pro 
duce  a  similar  impression.  The  force  of  contrast 
operates  with  irresistible  effect.  At  one  moment  I 
am  in  Kearney-street  or  Montgomery- street,  sur 
rounded  by  tokens  of  Western  civilization,  and  a 
few  minutes  afterwards  I  stand  in  what  is  a  small 
section  of  an  actual  Chinese  city.  It  is  impossible 
for  the  most  cursory  observer  to  witness  these 
things  and  to  fail  being  struck  with  the  fact  that 
their  continued  existence  involves  the  solution  of  a 
great  problem.  Of  this  the  citizens  of  San  Fran 
cisco  are  perfectly  conscious.  What  they  have  done 
hitherto  towards  finding  the  desired  solution  does 
not  entitle  them  to  unstinted  praise.  At  present, 
Chinese  labour  is  as  much  a  necessary  of'their  exist 
ence  as  the  clothes  they  wear.  In  private  houses, 
John — all  Chinamen  being  called  John — is  a  far 
better  servant  than  Biddy.  He  takes  lower  wages ; 
he  is  temperate,  honest,  and  respectful ;  he  does  his 


304  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

work  with  extreme  care,  whether  it  consists  in 
washing  dishes  or  nursing  babies,  scrubbing  floors 
or  waiting  at  table.  Manufactories  would  have  to 
be  closed,  vineyards  suffered  to  run  wild,  and  many 
railways  would  continue  to  be  projects,  were  there 
no  Chinamen  to  watch  the  spindles,  tend  the  vines, 
cut  the  sleepers,  build  bridges,  and  lay  the  rails. 
Chinamen,  however,  are  chargeable  with  the  unpar 
donable  fault  of  being  Chinamen.  The  shape  of 
their  eyes,  the  hue  of  their  skins,  the  cut  of  their 
clothes,  nay  even  their  virtues,  such  as  prudence, 
patience,  abstemiousness,  attachment  to  the  land  of 
their  birth,  a  desire  that  their  bones  should  be  laid 
amidst  the  bones  of  their  ancestors,  are  all  regarded 
as  disabilities  unfitting  them  for  being  treated  as 
rational  human  beings.  It  is  considered  dangerous 
to  stand  on  the  platform  of  a  street-car,  and  pas 
sengers  are  prohibited  from  standing  there.  Yet 
Chinamen  and  Chinawomen  are  compelled  by  a 
regulation  of  the  company  to  stand  on  this  platform, 
and  are  forbidden  to  sit  inside.  This  barbarous  and 
disgraceful  regulation  exceeds  in  wickedness  the 
prohibitions* which  in  other  days  excluded  the  negro 
from  the  street  and  the  railroad  car.  It  is  illiberal 
to  refuse  to  take  the  Chinese  as  passengers,  but  to 
carry  them  at  the  same  rates  as  other  passengers 
and  to  make  them  occupy  places  which  are  supposed 


1  TIGERS  '  AND  CHINESE  IN  SAN  FEANCISCO.      305 

to  be  dangerous  can  hardly  be  characterised  in 
language  sufficiently  strong.  Attempts  have  been 
made  to  subje.ct  them  to  the  bitterest  injustice  of 
which  men  can  be  the  victims.  In  courts  of  law  the 
evidence  of  Chinamen  has  been  proclaimed  inad 
missible.  They  might  be  wholly  in  the  right,  an<J 
yet  be  adjudged  as  wrongdoers.  There  was  nothing 
to  prevent  a  non-Chinaman  entering  a  house  inha 
bited  by  a  Chinese  family,  committing  robbery, 
rape,  or  murder  in  the  presence  of  several  wit 
nesses,  and  being  held  by  the  court  to  be  innocent 
of  any  offence  against  the  law.  Happily  this 
monstrous  violation  of  the  rights  of  the  individual, 
which  the  statutes  of  California  sanction,  will  not 
be  possible  in  the  future.  I  had  the  satisfaction  of 
learning  that  Ah  Hund,  who  was  defendant  in  an 
action  which  came  before  a  court  of  law  during  my 
stay  in  San  Francisco,  and  who,  if  not  permitted  to 
testify,  would  have  been  robbed  of  his  property, 
was  placed  in  the  witness-box,  in  accordance  with 
the  judge's  ruling  that  the  Fourteenth  Constitu 
tional  Amendment,  while  extending  equality  to  the 
negro,  likewise  entitled  the  Chinaman  to  sue  for 
justice,  and  ensured  that  he  would  not  sue  in  vain. 
That  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  will 
confirm  this  decision  if  appealed  against,  is  regarded 


306  VrESTWAED  BY  EAIL. 

as  certain.  In  any  case,  however,  the  Fifteenth 
Constitutional  Amendment  will  be  an  effectual  bar 
to  the  repetition  of  iniquitous  proceedings  like 
those  in  question.  How  far  the  efforts  made  by 
the  Democrats,  who  are  now  the  -majority  here,  to 
persecute  and  expel  the  Chinese  will  prove  success 
ful  remains  to  be  seen.  The  Alta  California,  which 
is  an  upholder  of  the  Union  rather  than  a  mere 
organ  of  party,  has  made  a  bold  and  firm  stand  in 
favour  of  justice  to  the  Chinaman.  In  one  of  many 
articles  on  the  subject  it  remarks  that  if  the 
Chinese  were  expelled,  the  value  of  landed  property 
would  at  once  decline  25  per  cent. ;  that  if  they 
were  excluded,  the  act  would  be  a  token  of  bar 
barism  ;  and  that  not  only  unrestricted  intercourse 
with  China,  but  also  kind  treatment  of  the  Chinese, 
is  demanded  by  the  spirit  of  the  age.  Furthermore, 
it  is  said  that  the  old  war  cry  of  e  America  for 
Americans '  is  out  of  date,  and  there  is  no  proba 
bility  that  e  America  for  Irishmen '  will  be  substi 
tuted.  It  is  unquestionable  that  Chinese  labour  is 
a  great  boon  to  California.  It  is  reasonable  that  if 
the  Chinamen  obey  the  law  they  should  be  protected 
by  the  law.  Fortunately,  the  statesmen  of  America 
have  recently  succeeded  in  rendering  it  all  but  im 
possible  to  desecrate  the  grand  principles  of  the 
Republic  by  persecuting  men  on  account  of  acci- 


'  TIGERS'  AND  CHINESE  IN  SAN  FRANCISCO.     307 

dents  of  parentage,  and  establishing  a  class  of 
Pariahs  in  the  great  home  of  a  people  in  whose  eyes 
rank  is  but  a  trivial  distinction,  and  who  glory  in 
maintaining  that  birth  alone  neither  entails  disgrace 
nor  confers  honour. 


SOS  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 


XXII. 

CHARACTERISTICS  OF  CALIFORXIAXS. 

AMONG  the  earliest  questions  put  by  an  American 
lady  or  gentleman  to  a  traveller  from  England  who 
lands  at  Boston,  New  York,  or  Baltimore  this  one 
is  certain  to  be  included  : — f  How  do  you  like 
America?'  If,  however,  the  traveller  should  first  tread 
the  sacred  soil  of  the  Union  when  stepping  ashore 
at  San  Francisco,  he  will  as  certainly  be  asked : — 
'  What  do  you  think  of  California  ? '  In  the  former 
case,  the  reply  is  expected  that  America  is  a  great 
country ;  in  the  latter,  that  California  is  a  paradise. 
The  observer  to  whom  the  second  inquiry  has  been 
addressed  is  soon  led  to  think  that  the  love  of  the. 
Califormans  for  their  country  has  been  absorbed 
in  a  singular  and  exceptional  affection  for  their 
State.  They  sometimes  appear  to  consider  the  old 
Bear  flag  as  noble  an  ensign  as  the  national  Stars 
and  Stripes.  They  talk  as  if '  the  States '  were  mere 
adjuncts  to  California,  satellites  revolving  round 
their  sun.  This  sentiment  is  more  excusable  than  the 


CHARACTEKISTICS  OF  CALIFORNIANS.         309 

inflated  provincial  arrogance  which  puts  the  native 
streamlet  on  a  par  with  the  foreign  river;  which 
rates  the  native  hills  as  the  equals  of  distant  moun 
tains  ;  which  regards  the  native  village  as  the  centre 
and  measure  of  the  universe.  The  frog  would  never 
have  striven  to  match  the  ox  in  size  had  the  frog 
been  less  contemptible.  Were  California  a  small 
and  insignificant  State  the  exaggerated  provin 
cialism  of  its  inhabitants  would  be  simply  ludicrous 
It  is,  however,  the  reverse  of  paltry  and  despicable. 
So  extensive  is  its  area  that  twenty  such  States  as 
Massachusetts  could  be  carved  out  of  it.  The  popu 
lation  is  small,  yet  it  exceeds  that  of  the  old  State 
of  Connecticut.  San  Francisco  alone  contains  more 
citizens  than  the  entire  State  of  Rhode  Island.  In 
the  State  of  California  there  are  65,000,000  of  acres 
which  can  be  brought  under  tillage,  and  as  yet  not 
more  than  three  per  cent,  of  the  whole  has  been 
cultivated.  Within  the  ample  bounds  of  this  large 
and  fertile  State  20,000,000  of  people  can  be  ac 
commodated  with  pleasant  homes.  The  soil  yields 
everything  which  human  beings  require  to  support 
and  ameliorate  existence.  All  the  metals  which 
men  value  most  highly  can  be  procured  in  abun 
dance  and  disposed  of  at  a  profit.  The  rivers  swarm 
with  fish ;  the  woods  are  filled  with  game ;  the  fields 
are  alive  with  the  savoury  birds  which,  in  less 


310  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

favoured  localities,  are  the  luxuries  of  the  rich. 
The  climate  is  as  glorious  as  that  which  must  have 
prevailed  in  those  '  summer  isles  of  Eden  lying  in 
dark  purple  spheres  of  sea,'  which  the  poet  has 
depicted  as  the  regions  of  perfect  terrestrial  beauty 
and  happiness.  That  the  dwellers  in  a  State  lavishly 
endowed  by  nature  and  incontestably  superior  to 
many  other  States  in  the  Union,  should  be  prone  to 
forget  that  they  are  the  least  part  of  what  they  see 
and  enjoy,  is  by  no  means  unnatural,  yet  it  fairly 
lays  them  open  to  criticism. 

Indeed,  the  Californians  have  so  thoroughly  iden 
tified  themselves  with  their  State  as  to  be  among 
the  greatest  self-deceivers  on  the  Continent  of 
America.  They  appear  to  live  under  the  delusion 
that  the  rich  gold  mines,  the  unrivalled  grain, 
the  magnificent  fruit,  the  delightful  climate  are  all 
creations  of  their  own.  Tell  them  that  gold  is 
quite  as  abundant  in  Australia,  that  nature  has 
been  as  kind  to  dwellers  on  other  portions  of  the 
globe,  and  they  will  appear  to  think  that  an  affront 
is  intended.  Add  that  in  some  respects  they  arc 
not  the  equals  of  others  who  inhabit  this  Continent, 
that  the  culture  and  polish  of  New  England  are 
not  among  their  adornments,  that  they  pay  a  dis 
proportionate  respect  to  material  when  compared 
with  intellectual  achievements,  and  they  will  repel 


CHAEACTERISTICS  OF  CALIFOKNIANS.         311 

the  charges  as  malignant  calumnies.  In  short, 
Californians  in  general  will  marvel  at  the  temerity 
of  the  daring  speaker  or  writer  who  ventures  to 
assure  them  that,  even  if  they  live  in  a  paradise, 
they  are  not  wholly  without  spot  or  blemish. 

It  is  hardly  possible  to  reside  for  a  day  in 
California  without  hearing  some  reference  made  to 
the  '  Pioneers.'  To  have  come  here  in  1849  is 
held  to  be  a  mark  of  distinction  like  that  accorded 
in  Massachusetts  to  the  Puritans  who  crossed  the 
ocean  in  the  Mayflower  and  like  that  awarded  in 
England  to  the  descendants  of  those  who  crossed 
the  Channel  with  William  the  Norman.  In  Europe 
the  spirit  which  originally  led  to  the  formation,  and 
still  sanctions  the  continuance,  of  orders  of  nobility 
is  the  same  as  that  which  prompts  the  pioneer- 
worship  of  Californians.  The  spelling  of  e  lord ' 
may  be  greatly  varied  without  altering  the  actual 
result.  The  Virginians  had  a  form  which,  if  clumsy 
in  appearance,  answered  the  purpose  nearly  as  well 
as  any  other.  The  man  who,  in  the  Old  World, 
would  be  dubbed  a  viscount  or  a  baron  was  known 
in  the  Old  Dominion  as  an  F.  F.  V.,  that  is,  he 
belonged  to  one  of  the  First  Families  in  Virginia. 
It  is  probable  that  the  two-fold  effects  of  war  and 
emancipation  may  prove  fatal  to  the  continuance 
of  this  petty  form  of  aristocracy.  Yet  so  long  as 


312  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

the  s  Pioneers  '  of  California  are  regarded  as  excep 
tional  men,  the  Great  Kepublic  will  continue  to 
have  specimens  on  a  small  scale  of  the  antiquated 
arrangements  which  its  enlightened  citizens  regard 
as  the  bane  of  the  Old  World.  These  '  Pioneers ' 
are  aristocrats  at  heart  if  not  in  name;  they  are 
'  nobles '  in  their  own  estimation.  If  to  have  settled 
in  California  in  1849  be  admitted  to  be  so  meri 
torious  as  to  command  admiration,  the  children  of 
the  (  Pioneers '  will  claim  superiority  over  others  on 
the  ground  that  their  fathers  were  the  most  distin 
guished  citizens  in  the  State  and  thus  a  hereditary 
hallucination  will  be  propagated. 

It  was  at  Chicago  that  I  first  had  the  grati 
fication  of  seeing  several  of  these  remarkable 
'  Pioneers.'  A  deputation  arrived  there  with  a 
view  to  fraternise  with  their  Eastern  brethren  and 
exhibit  themselves  as  examples  of  Californian 
greatness.  They  were  welcomed  with  the  warmth 
shown  towards  conquerors  returning  home  after 
the  performance  of  heroic  exploits.  Had  the 
*  Pioneers  '  saved  the  Union  single-handed  their 
presence  could  hardly  have  aroused  greater  enthu 
siasm.  It  was  also  my  good  fortune  to  become 
personally  acquainted  with  some  of  these  extraor 
dinary  men.  They  described  California  in  a  way 
which  led  me  to  suppose  that  the  country  must  be  a 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  CALIFORNIA^.         313 

modern  Eden.  If  they  had  added  that  it  was  Eden 
after  the  fall  they  would  have  guarded  themselves 
against  exciting  expectations  which  were  doomed 
to  be  unfulfilled.  By  omitting  to  do  this  they  led 
me  astray.  They  assured  me  that  the  citizens  of 
California  were  the  superiors  of  all  others  on  the 
Continent,  were  endowed  with  every  excellence  of 
character  which  adorns  and  exalts  mankind.  Their 
achievements,  I  was  emphatically  told,  had  been 
unparalleled  in  grandeur  and  unequalled  in  im 
portance,  while  all  that  had  been  performed  and 
all  that  was  now  rendered  easy  and  possible  had 
its  source  in  the  conduct  and  character  of  the 
'  Pioneers.'  Such  is  the  gist  of  the  statements  to 
which  I  listened  with  attention.  If  I  do  not  accept 
them  as  wholly  accurate,  it  is  because  I  have  failed 
to  substantiate  them  by  an  examination  of  the  facts. 
Moreover,  granting  the  truth  of  the  allegations,  I 
am  reluctantly  obliged  to  challenge  the  propriety 
of  the  homage  of  which  the  e  Pioneers '  are  the 
willing  and  gratified  recipients.  They  went  to 
California  in  order  to  get  riches:  they  succeeded 
in  their  object;  that  their  enrichment  must  be 
pleasing  to  them  is  quite  in  the  nature  of  things. 
But  to  bow  down  before  them  because  they  have 
been  successful  is  simply  to  revive  the  worship 
of  the  Golden  Calf.  When  a  man  makes  a  for- 


314  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

tune,  he  is  not  necessarily  transformed  into  a  clcmi- 
Gocl. 

Two  qualities,  I  was  told,  distinguished  the 
citizens  of  San  Francisco.  They  were  generous  to 
a  degree  almost  unique,  and  noted  for  hospitality 
beyond  the  rest  of  the  world.  Among  my  intro 
ductions  were  some  to  gentlemen  who,  by  com 
mon  consent,  were  ranked  as  representative  men, 
citizens  who  occupied  prominent  positions  as  mag 
nates  and  millionaires.  Soon  after  my  arrival  I 
presented  my  introduction  to  one  of  these  gentle 
men.  He  was  a  banker,  and  I  thought  it  natural 
that  he  should  be  rich ;  he  was  an  ornament  to  San 
Francisco,  and  I  deemed  it  a  matter  of  course  that 
he  should  be  estimable.  His  reception  of  me  sur 
passed  any  which  I  had  received  from  the  many 
affable  Americans  whose  acquaintance  I  made  in 
a  similar  manner.  To  call  it  cordial  is  but  imper 
fectly  to  characterise  it.  Everything  this  gentle 
man  could  do  to  serve  me  he  professed  himself 
anxious  to  perform.  His  country-seat,  his  horses 
and  his  carriage  were  placed  at  my  disposal  with 
an  alacrity  which  was  startling.  It  resembled 
nothing  so  much  as  the  sham  politeness  of  the 
Spaniard  who  asks  the  stranger  to  consider  himself 
the  proprietor  of  all  his  possessions,  and  who  never 
for  a  moment  thinks  that  he  will  be  taken  at  his 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  CALIFORNIANS.         315 

word.  I  am  sorry  to  have  to  record  as  the  result 
of  experience  gained  not  only  from  this  case,  but 
from  others,  that  among  the  legacies  of  the 
Spaniards  to  the  Californians  the  peculiar  Spanish 
views  about  hospitality  have  been  included.  It  so 
happened  that  I  had  no  occasion  for  availing  myself 
of  the  banker's  services,  and  was  unable  to  put 
his  kindness  to  the  test.  Shortly  before  my  de 
parture,  I  called  to  thank  him  for  his  courtesy  and 
to  express  regret  at  my  inability  to  profit  by  his 
liberal  offers.  Fancying,  apparently,  that  I  had 
come  to  ask  him  to  give  effect  to  his  promises,  he 
appeared  strangely  oblivious  as  to  having  seen  me 
before ;  but,  no  sooner  had  I  explained  my  errand, 
than  his  countenance  cleared,  the  former  cordiality 
of  manner  returned,  and  he  emphatically  expressed 
a  hope,  of  which  I  perfectly  understood  the  mean 
ing,  that  he  might  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  me 
the  next  time  I  visited  San  Francisco. 

If  the  Californians  were  less  addicted  to  eulo 
gising  themselves,  they  might  be  praised  more 
unreservedly  by  strangers.  It  is  wise  policy  for 
the  citizens  of  a  new  State  to  imitate  the  custom 
of  the  inhabitants  of  Tasmania  and  New  South 
Wales  and  studiously  refrain  from  provoking  in 
discreet  and  minute  inquiries.  That  society  in 
San  Francisco  and  Sacramento  should  be  composed 


316  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

of  heterogeneous  materials,  and  that  the  '  prominent 
citizens '  should  not  always  be  conspicuous  for  their 
high  breeding  and  their  learning  ought  to  excite  no 
astonishment.  The  gold  discoveries  acted  as  a 
magnet  which  drew  to  the  same  spot  a  mixed 
crowd  of  adventurers.  Some  came  to  dig  for  gold ; 
others  to  get  gold  in  exchange  for  goods,  for  their 
personal  charms,  for  their  professional  advice.  In 
this  keen  struggle  the  most  illiterate  and  unscrupu 
lous  had  a  great  advantage  over  the  scholar  and  the 
man  of  honour.  The  men  who  achieved  the  greatest 
success  were  in  some  respects  changed  for  the  worse. 
If  vulgar  and  commonplace  before,  their  rapidly 
acquired  riches  served  to  render  these  failings  still 
more  obvious.  Their  greatest  gain  consisted  in  the 
training  which"  had  made  them  self  reliant  to  a 
degree  which  is  unattainable  except  by  those  who 
have  lived  in  a  community  where  Judge  Lynch 
administers  the  wild  justice  of  revenge,  and  where 
a  bullet  from  a  revolver  or  a  stab  made  by  a 
bowie-knife  is  the  .only  argument  potent  enough  to 
command  instant  acquiescence.  The  dwellers  in 
cities  well  guarded  by  policemen  know  nothing  of 
what  it  is  to  inhabit  a  mining  camp  swarming  with 
robbers  and  murderers.  Those  who  have  passed 
through  the  ordeal  have  gained  an  experience  like 
that  of  the  hunter  who  has  lived  for  years  by  the 


CEARACTEKISTICS  OF  CALIFORNIANS.         317 

produce  of  his  rifle,  and  has  executed  the  double 
task  of  shooting  the  game  wherewith  to  sustain  life 
and  guarding  himself  against  being  shot  by  Indians 
who  hate  and  pursue  him  as  they  do  a  wild  beast. 
The  hunter's  career  generally  unfits  him  for  living 
in  the  society  of  his  fellows :  he  prefers  a  lonely  but 
active  life  in  the  forest  or  on  the  mountain  to  a 
dreary  and  monotonous  existence  amid  the  solitude 
of  a  great  city.  This  was  not  the  case  with  respect 
to  the  gold-hunters.  Having  suddenly  grown  rich, 
they  were  eager  to  enjoy  the  luxuries  which  money 
can  purchase.  They  imported  into  the  city  the 
manners  and  customs  of  the  camp.  To  order 
drinks  for  ( the  crowd  '  was  the  habit  of  a  hospitable 
Californian  miner :  to  give  drinks  to  their  acquaint 
ances  is  the  habit  of  the  prosperous  Californian 
citizen.  A  gentleman  who  was  pointed  out  to  me 
enjoyed  immense  popularity  in  San  Francisco.  He 
was  very  rich.  His  greatest  merit,  as  far  as  I 
could  learn,  consisted  in  this,  that  sometimes  he 
expended  500  dollars  a  day  in  treating  his  friends 
to  drinks.  When,  then,  Californians  vaunt  about 
their  hospitality  they  mean  that  they  are  the  most 
liberal  with  their  whisky  of  any  people  on  earth. 

It  would  be  an  error,  however,  to  regard  the 
Californians  as  spend-thrifts.  While  parting  osten 
tatiously  with  their  money,  they  are  perpetually 


318  WESTWARD  EY  RAIL. 

anxious  to  amass  more  wealth.  The  shrewdest 
Yankee  cannot  excel  them  in  looking  after  the 
main  chance.  They  seem  to  think  that  the  whole 
duty  of  man  consists  in  getting  money.  But  to 
employ  their  accumulated  wealth  in  a  way  which 
will  benefit  the  less  fortunate,  cannot  be  numbered 
among  the  objects  of  their  ambition.  Many  stories 
of  unpardonable  niggardliness  are  current.  One  of 
the  best  authenticated  relates  to  (  The  Mercantile 
Library '  of  San  Francisco.  Seventeen  years  ago 
the  lovers  of  literature  resolved  upon  founding  a 
library  here  which  should  resemble  the  public 
libraries  which  do. credit  to  the  generous  foresight 
of  the  inhabitants  of  the  principal  cities  in  the 
Eastern  States.  This  collection  of  books  and  periodi 
cals  is  large  and  valuable ;  the  building  wherein  it 
is  stored  is  a  noble  structure.  Yet  the  existence 
of  the  association  itself  has  been  a  never-  endin^ 

o 

struggle  with  poverty.  The  stranger  who  visits 
the  library  learns  with  amazement  that  the  managers 
6  cannot  point  to  one  bequest  or  donation,  save  by 
some  kind-hearted  actor,  musician  or  lecturer,  the 
proceeds  of  whose  generosity  have  been  devoted  to 
the  purchase  of  new  books.'  The  undertaking  was 
originated  and  has  been  sustained  by  a  few  private 
citizens,  '  most  of  them  young  and  dependent  on 
their  daily  employment  for  a  livelihood.'  It  is 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  CALIFOKNIANS.        319 

added,  by  the  unimpeachable  authority  from  which 
the  foregoing  quotations  have  been  made,  that 
f  these  facts,  so  creditable  to  the  literary  culture  of 
San  Francisco,  are  less  so  to  the  intelligent  libe 
rality  of  her  millionaires.'*  Until  these  millionaires 
shall  have  ceased  to  be  living  incarnations  of  purse- 
proud  selfishness,  it  will  be  permissible,  when  de 
scribing  them,  to  employ  the  stinging  sarcasm  of 
Burke,  and  say  that  the  ledger  is  their  Bible  and 
Mammon  their  God. 

Happily,  there  is  another  and  a  brighter  side  to 
be  contemplated.  Although  the  lowest  form  of 
materialism  is  the  creed  of  the  majority,  and  Dives 
alone  commands  general  respect,  yet  in  California 
there  is  a  small  and  precious  leaven  of  men  who 
cultivate  letters  and  art  with  pure  affection,  and 
who  promise  to  become  masters  of  their  craft.  I 
visited  a  gallery  of  paintings  by  Californian  artists, 
and  saw  enough  to  warrant  the  belief  that  the  land 
scapes  of  the  Pacific  slope  will  hereafter  be  worthily 
reproduced  on  canvas  by  artists  who  have  lived 
among  the  scenes  they  portray.  The  desire  and 
ability  to  do  this  have  been  unmistakeably  mani 
fested.  Of  material  there  is  no  lack.  That  California 
will  hereafter  be  illustrated  by  its  artists  as  well  as 
enriched  by  manufacturers  and  merchants  is  one  of 

*  The  Alta  California,  3rd  October,  1869. 


320  WESTWARD  I3Y  RAIL. 

the  most  cheering  among  the  possibilities  of  the 
future.  In  literature  the  harvest  bids  fair  to  be 
sooner  ripe  and  more  copious.  The  number  of 
books  of  native  growth  is  but  small ;  yet  the  capa 
city  for  producing  books  bright  with  the  charm  of 
originality  and  impressed  with  the  stamp  of  home 
production  has  been  clearly  demonstrated.  T\vo 
years  ago  a  magazine  entitled  the  Overland  Monthly 
was  first  issued  by  an  enterprising  publisher  of  San 
Francisco,  and  that  magazine  has  already  taken 
rank  with  the  best  periodicals  which  America  pro 
duces.  Were  a  competitive  examination  instituted, 
the  Overland  Monthly  might  even  take  high  honours 
among  the  magazines  which  do  credit  to  England. 
It  is  entitled  to  the  rare  distinction  of  being  readable 
from  cover  to  cover  and  yet  to  be  able  to  maintain 
its  place  without  being  propped  up  by  an  instalment 
from  a  novel.  Tho  short  tales  in  it  are  noteworthy 
alike  for  artistic  treatment  and  freshness  of  subject. 
They  are  based  on  actual  experience  of  life  at  the 
gold  diggings ;  hence  they  have  the  attraction  of 
displaying  new  varieties  of  existence  and  new  types 
of  character.  It  is  probable  that  their  authors  were 
educated  men  who  joined  in  the  rush  to  California 
in  the  hope  of  succeeding  better  by  wielding  pick 
axes  than  they  had  done  by  the  exercise  of  their 
pens.  Whether  they  were  disappointed  or  not  in 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  CALIFOENIANS.         321 

their  immediate  design,  it  is  certain  that  they  gained 
much  profitable  experience  which  they  are  utilizing 
for  literary  purposes.  These  productions  are  not 
the  only  coinage  of  note  from  the  intellectual  mint 
of  California.  The  critiques  on  current  literature 
are  quite  refreshing  in  their  genuineness,  and  very 
effective  pieces  of  writing.  The  conventionalities 
of  literary  cliques  do  not  seem  to  hamper  and 
emasculate  the  writers.  Having  opinions  of  their 
own  to  express,  they  couch  them  in  plain  and 
straightforward  language,  and  they  appear  to  write 
with  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  subjects  which 
they  discuss.  Many  literary  oracles  of  greater  age 
and  pretensions,  give  forth  feebler  and  more  uncer 
tain  sounds  and  do  less  towards  maintaining  a  high 
standard  in  literature,  than  the  Overland  Monthly. 
In  support  of  these  opinions  and  in  justification  of 
this  praise  I  ought  to  cite  examples.  If  I  could 
do  so  within  moderate  limits,  I  should  have  no 
difficulty  in  substantiating  my  case.  The  discern 
ing  readers  whose  curiosity  is  piqued,  or  whose 
scepticism  is  aroused,  can  easily  ascertain  how  far  I 
have  written  at  random,  and  whether  I  have  strewn 
flowers  of  eulogy  in  error.  If  they  turn  to  the 
Overland  Monthly  and  judge  for  themselves  they 
will  have  their  reward,  for  they  are  certain  to  dis 
cover  therein  much  of  which  the  originality  will 


322  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

afford  them  pleasure  even  should  they  be  unable  to 
admit  the  relative  excellence  and  absolute  supe 
riority  of  the  magazine  as  a  whole. 

The  Pacific  Railway  has  been  regarded  as  an  in 
strument  designed  to  advance  the  prosperity  of  San 
Francisco  and  to  multiply  the  attractions  of  Cali 
fornia.  As  regards  the  people  themselves  that 
means  of  intercommunication  will  prove  fraught 
with  results  quite  as  important.  Their  comparative 
isolation  has  led  to  the  growth  of  a  local  pride 
hardly  justified  by  facts  and  not  deserving  of  ad 
miration.  The  young  men  who  left  their  homes  in 
the  Eastern  States  twenty  years  ago,  and  are  now 
wealthy  citizens  of  California,  have  remained  prac 
tically  ignorant  of  the  changes  which,  during  that 
long  interval,  have  been  wrought  in  the  cities  of 
their  birth.  They  have  not  known  that  progress 
has  moved  with  giant  strides  in  New  York,  St. 
Louis,  and  Chicago  as  well  as  in  San  Francisco 
and  Sacramento.  They  compare  what  they  see 
around  them  i\itli  what  they  imagine  to  'exist  else 
where  and  they  glory  in  their  achievements.  Now 
that  facilities  for  travel  enable  them  to  draw  just 
comparisons,  their  self-importance  may  possibly  re 
ceive  a  shock  and  the  ( Pioneers '  may  soon  be 
deposed  from  the  high  pedestal  which  they  have 
occupied  in  the  estimation  of  themselves  and  their 


CHAEACTEEISTICS  OF  CALIFOENIAKS.         323 

neighbours.  In  reality  there  is  no  more  merit  in 
having  been  a  s  Californian  Pioneer '  than  in  draw 
ing  a  prize  in  a  lottery.  The  holders  of  prizes 
deserve  congratulations,  but  no  honour.  Having 
made  money  these  men  may  think  that  they  have 
earned  glory.  The  folly  is  not  theirs  so  much  as 
of  the  simpletons  who  accede  to  a  ridiculous  de 
mand. 

Nature,  which  has  already  done  much  for  Cali 
fornia,  will  doubtless  do  as  much  to  render  the  race 
which  is  being  moulded  here  a  splendid  branch  of 
the  human  family.  The  physical  conditions  under 
which  human  beings  exist  in  this  favoured  region 
are  well  adapted  for  imparting  to  them  the  qualities 
which  lead  to  greatness  in  all  departments  of  exer 
tion.  A  century  hence  it  is  probable  that  the 
Californians  will  be  a  power  in  the  Union  and 
will  make  their  influence  felt  throughout  the  world. 
As  their  intrinsic  merit  becomes  more  tangible  their 
shortcomings  will  afford  less  ground  for  comment. 
When  they  have  stronger  reasons  for  boasting,  they 
will  leave  to  others  the  task  of  trumpeting  forth 
their  praises. 


15 


324  WESTWARD  EY  RAIL. 


XXIII. 

THE  GOLDEN  GATE  TO   THE  AMERICAN  ATHENS. 

THE  boldest  figures  of  speech  used  by  poets  hardly 
outstrip  the  figurative  names  which  have  been  con 
ferred  upon  cities  and  places.  It  is  difficult  to 
fathom  the  reason  for  calling  the  harbour  of  Stam- 
boul  the  Golden  Horn  and  the  entrance  to  the  Bay 
of  San  Francisco  the  Golden  Gate.  There  is 
nothing  auriferous  about  either.  With  regard  to 
the  latter,  however,  there  is  an  explanation  which 
justifies  the  title.  Along  the  Pacific  coast  a  range 
of  mountains  rises  to  the  height  of  five  thousand 
feet.  The  bank  of  fog,  which  nearly  always  broods 
over  this  locality,  seldom  ascends  above  the  summits 
of  these  mountains.  The  only  break  in  the  rock- 
bound  barrier  forms  the  inlet  to  the  quiet  waters  of 
San  Francisco  Bay.  When  the  fog  is  dense  and  the 
sky  obscured  without,  the  sun  shines  brightly  and 
the  sky  is  clear  within.  The  effect  observed,  upon  the 
gap  being  reached,  is  that  of  a  mellow  golden  haze. 
Hence  the  origin  of  the  appellation.  The  sailors  who 
came  hither  long  before  the  discovery  of  the  famous 
gold  diggings  or  the  advent  of  Californian  *  Pioneers ' 


THE  GOLDEN  GATE  TO  THE  AMERICAN  ATHENS.  325 

rejoiced  when  they  could  distinguish  the  glittering 
yellow  veil  which  indicated  that  the  desired  haven 
had  been  reached,  and  they  were  nearly  as  en 
chanted  at  the  sight  as  they  would  have  been  if  the 
rocks  between  which  they  sailed  were  in  truth  portals 
of  solid  gold.  If  the  earlier  mariners  who  approached 
this  coast  had,  on  landing,  ascended  the  mountain 
known  by  the  name  of  Tamalpais,  or  Table  Rock, 
and  beheld  the  detested  fog  rolling  beneath  their 
feet  and  gazed  on  the  beautiful  prospect  around 
them,  they  might  have  entertained  thoughts  iden 
tical  with  those  of  the  storm-tossed  wanderers  when 
arriving  at  the  land  of  the  Lotos  Eaters.  Indeed, 
the  spot  itself  under  circumstances  such  as  these 
could  not  be  described  more  fittingly  and  beauti 
fully  than  in  the  choice  lines  which  are  among  the 
most  finished  that  Tennyson  ever  penned : — 

'  We  have  had  enough  of  action,  and  of  motion  we, 
Eoll'd  to  starboard,  roll'd  to  larboard,  when  the  surge  was  seething 

free, 

Where  the  wallowing  monster  spouted  his  foam-fountains  in  the  sea. 
Let  us  swear  an  oath,  and  keep  it  with  an  equal  mind, 
In  the  hollow  Lotos-land  to  live  and  lie  reclined 
On  the  hills  like  Gods  together,  careless  of  mankind. 
For  they  lie  beside  their  nectar,  and  their  bolts  are  hurl'd 
Far  below  them  in  the  valleys,  and  the  clouds  are  lightly  curl'd 
Bound  their  golden  houses,  girdled  with  the  gleaming  world.' 

*  Surely,  surely,  slumber  is  more  sweet  than  toil,  the  shore 
Than  labour  in  the  deep  mid-ocean,  wind  and  wave  and  oar ; 
Oh  rest  ye,  brother  mariners,  we  will  not  wander  more.' 


32G  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

The  Spaniards  who  first  settled  here  were  indeecl 
little  better  than  Lotos-Eaters.  They  lounged 
through  existence.  But  their  successors  are  men  of 
more  vigorous  race  and  less  tranquil  temperaments. 
The  Californians  of  whom  Sir  George  Simpson 
wrote  in  1846  that  they  were  indolent  and  good- 
for-nothing,  have  been  displaced  by  Californians 
whose  fault  is  not  want  of  energy  and  whose  delight 
does  not  consist  in  folding  the  hands  and  dreaming 
like  the  sluggard.  Had  they  done  nothing  else  than 
construct  the  more  difficult  portion  of  the  railway 
across  the  Continent,  they  would  have  vindicated 
their  claim  to  be  among  the  most  enterprising  and 
dauntless  of  mortals. 

The  completion  of  that  railway  has  placed  San 
Francisco  almost  midway  between  two  Easts.  If 
the  traveller  embarks  in  a  steamer  bound  for  China 
or  Japan  he  will  be  carried  towards  that  ancient 
and  far  East  which  is  associated  in  our  minds  with 
all  that  is  gorgeous  in  colouring,  -marvellous  in 
story  and  romantic  in  adventure.  Having  jour 
neyed  'Westward  by  Kail'  the  traveller  is  thus 
enabled  to  reach  this  East  while  following  in  the 
track  of  the  setting  sun.  AB  I  had  attained  the 
limit  assigned  to  my  present  journey,  nothing  re 
mained  but  to  retrace  my  steps.  While  doing  so 
and  turning  my  back  upon  Asia  I  was  able  to 


THE  GOLDEN  GATE  TO  THE  AMEKICAN  ATHENS.   327 

proceed  over  what  is  to  the  Calif ornians  a  fnew 
route  to  the  East,'  to  an  East  far  younger  than  the 
other  yet  more  mature,  not  peopled  with  imaginary 
genii  like  the  other,  but  the  home  of  men  who  have 
yoked  fiery  dragons  to  their  chariots  and  tamed  the 
lightning  to  do  their  bidding.  The  Asiatic  merely 
imagined  a  Sindbad  and  an  Aladdin.  In  England 
and  America  hundreds  of  Sindbads  and  Aladdins 
exist  who,  without  professing  to  work  wonders, 
eclipse  the  achievements  of  the  fabled  heroes  of 
romance. 

By  poetic  licence  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  Oceans 
are  said  to  be  united  by  an  iron  highway ;  but,  in 
reality,  there  are  several  breaks  in  the  line  and  one 
of  the  greatest  is  here.  It  is  possible  to  pass  from 
the  extreme  East  to  the  extreme  West  in  a  railway 
carriage,  just  as  passengers  might  be  transported 
from  Charing-cross  to  the  Northern  Station  in  Paris 
or  Brussels,  provided  the  carriage  were  embarked 
on  board  a  steamer  and  ferried  across  the  Channel. 
Moreover,  in  this  case  it  is  possible  for  the  water 
journey  to  be  avoided  altogether,  for  a  railway  runs 
between  San  Francisco  and  San  Jose,  and  San 
Jose  and  Alameda.  Yet,  though  this  route  is  prac 
ticable,  it  is  as  roundabout  and  inconvenient  as  that 
from  London  to  Portsmouth  by  way  of  Brighton. 
The  rule  is  to  cross  the  Bay  in  a  steamboat,  and  to 


328  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

enter  the  train  at  Vallejo,  Oakland,  or  Alameda. 
The  crossing  occupies  nearly  an  hour.  Starting  at 
a  quarter  past  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the 
view  from  the  steamer's  deck  is  far-reaching  and 
splendid.  A  good  notion  of  the  extent  of  the  Bay 
and  of  the  quantity  of  the  shipping  is  thus  ob 
tained.  The  city  itself  is  seen  to  advantage.  Its 
greatest  drawback  is  also  perceived  with  distinct 
ness.  Although  the  sky  is  clear  overhead,  yet  the 
greater  portion  of  the  city  is  shrouded  in  smoke. 
The  volumes  of  dense  black  smoke  issuing  from  the 
chimney-stalks  of  innumerable  furnaces,  dim  the 
brightness  of  the  sky,  and  darken  the  streets  and 
buildings.  The  effect  produced  by  a  London  fog 
is  hardly  less  unpleasant.  If  a  choice  had  to  be 
made  between  an  occasional  fog  and  perpetual 
smoke,  the  fog  would  certainly  be  regarded  as  the 
lesser  evil.  At  the  landing  stage  of  Alameda,  the 
train  of  the  Western  Pacific  Railway  is  in  readi 
ness  to  transport  the  passengers  to  Sacramento. 
The  line  is  here  carried  for  a  considerable  distance 
on  piles.  Were  the  train  to  run  off  the  rails,  the 
carriages  would  fall  into  the  water  below.  This  is 
a  contingency  which  will  occur  to  any  one  who 
looks  out  of  the  carriage  window,  and  speculates  as 
to  results.  But  another  and  a  greater  danger  seems 
impending  when  the  solid  earth  is  traversed.  The 


THE  GOLDEN  GATE  TO  THE  AMEKICAN  ATHENS.  329 

oscillation  of  the  carriages  is  very  great.  They 
swing  from  side  to  side  in  a  way  resembling  the 
rolling  of  a  screw  steamer.  The  inequalities  of  the 
surface  cause  shocks  like  those  which  shake  a 
steamer  when  a  head  wind  and  sea  rush  and  dash 
against  her  bows.  Indeed,  it  is  difficult  to  imagine 
that  rails  have  been  laid  at  all,  or  that,  if  laid,  they 
have  been  bolted  to  the  sleepers.  A  worse  line  I 
have  never  travelled  over.  It  is  nearly  as  rough 
and  unpleasant  as  the  common  roads  which,  in  the 
wilder  parts  of  the  Western  country,  seem  to  have 
been  traced  in  the  beds  of  watercourses  and  to  have 
been  unprepared  for  traffic  by  the  exercise  of  en 
gineering  skill.  The  scenery  along  the  line  is  not 
so  attractive  as  to  divert  attention  from  the  cha 
racter  of  the  line  itself.  The  ground  is  undulating 
for  the  most  part.  As  the  winter  rains  had  not  yet 
fallen  when  I  passed,  the  fields  and  trees  and  shrubs 
were  of  a  monotonous  dull  brown,  while  the  dust  on 
the  roads  was  about  a  foot  deep.  More  than  once 
I  have  spoken  in  terms  of  praise  of  the  Californian 
climate,  and  £  have,  perhaps,  omitted  to  make  some 
necessary  qualifications.  Properly  speaking  there 
are  three  climates  in  California — the  climate  of  the 
sea-coast,  of  the  plains,  and  of  the  mountains.  San 
Francisco  has  this  advantage,  owing  to  its  situa 
tion,  that  when  the  sun  shines  most  brightly  a  cool 


330  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

breeze  blows  in-shore  through  the  Golden  Gate. 
This  wind  has  the  great  advantage  of  bracing  the 
system,  which  otherwise  might  become  debilitated 
by  uniform  warmth.  The  best  proof  that  I  can 
give  of  the  actual  superiority  of  the  climate  of  San 
Francisco,  after  allowance  has  been  made  for  draw 
backs,  consists  in  the  fact  that  neither  men  nor 
women  require  to  wear  clothing  specially  adapted 
for  summer  or  winter.  The  ladies  wear  dresses 
differing  in  texture  and  colour,  in  order  to  follow 
the  fashions  which  are  set  elsewhere,  but  for  all  the 
purposes  of  clothing  these  dresses  do  not  vary.  At 
times,  however,  the  transition  from  the  extreme 
warmth  of  the  day  to  the  coolness  of  the  night  is 
sudden  and  trying  to  sensitive  constitutions.  To 
all  appearance  the  children  are  healthy  and  robust. 
Their  rosy  cheeks  are  a  great  contrast  to  the  trans 
parent  skins  and  pale  complexions  of  New  England 
children.  If  the  child  be  a  criterion  of  the  man,  the 
native-born  Californians  will  hereafter  be  fine  speci 
mens  of  humanity. 

Proceeding  inland  to  the  country  intersected  by 
the  railways  which  run  to  Sacramento,  the  climate 
becomes  far  hotter.  Yet,  though  less  temperate  it 
is  not  so  tropical  as  to  interfere  with  the  easy  and 
profitable  cultivation  of  the  soil.  In  the  plains  and 
valleys  the  year  may  be  divided  into  spring  and 


THE  GOLDEN  GATE  TO  THE  AMERICAN  ATHENS.  331 

summer.  Winter  and  autumn  are  mere  names 
there.  Rain  falls  in  November,  not  rain  like  the 
torrents  of  water  which  fall  in  tropical  climes,  but 
gentle  showers,  like  those  which  on  a  fine  spring 
morning  in  England  cool  the  air  and  moisten  the 
parched  ground,  From  December  to  April  the 
Californian  may  plough  and  plant.  At  the  end  of 
June  his  crops  are  ripe ;  he  may  then  cut  the  grain, 
and  having  done  so,  he  may  allow  it  to  remain  on 
the  field  till  October.  No  barn  is  required  to  shelter 
the  sheaves  which  are  about  to  be  thrashed ;  every 
thing  may  be  done  in  the  open  air  within  the  time 
above-mentioned.  Excepting  during  the  season 
when  it  rains,  all  operations  may  be  conducted  in 
the  open  air,  and  animals  need  not  be  put  under 
cover.  The  plains  of  California  are  a  paradise  for 
the  farmer.  In  the  mountains  there  are  two  seasons 
also,  but  these  are  winter  and  summer.  Snow  falls 
and  ice  forms  on  the  slopes  of  the  Sierra  Nevadas. 
There  are  some  localities  in  which  the  cold  is  per 
petual  and  where  the  snow  never  melts.  To  the 
Californian  the  choice  of  climate  and  of  scenery  is 
as  great  within  the  compass  of  his  own  State  as  it 
is  within  the  limits  of  Europe.  Among  the  Sierras 
he  has  the  glaciers  and  the  mountain  peaks,  the 
gorges  and  the  grand  scenery  of  Switzerland;  in 
the  plains  he  finds  the  rich  fields  and  the  rivers 


332  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

of  mid-France ;  while  along  the  sea  coast  all  the 
glories  of  the  Mediterranean  are  reproduced  on  a 
grander  scale,  and  in  larger  numbers. 

Six  hours  after  leaving  Alameda  the  train  stops 
at  Sacramento,  the  terminus  of  the  Western  Pacific 
Railway.  The  only  intermediate  station  of  im 
portance  is  Stockton,  a  place  of  10,000  inhabitants, 
and  the  centre  of  the  grain  trade  of  the  surrounding 
region.  It  is  also  the  spot  whence  supplies  are 
derived  for  the  important  gold-mining  industry  at 
Mariposa.  At  Sacramento  the  passengers  bound 
eastwards  take  their  seats  in  the  train  of  the  Central 
Pacific.  Immediately  after  leaving  Sacramento  the 
ascent  of  the  Sierras  begins,  and  the  difficulties 
surmounted  by  those  who  made  the  railway  are 
fully  realised.  At  the  end  of  fifty  miles  the  eleva 
tion  of  the  line  is  2,400  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
sea;  when  one  hundred  and  five  miles  have  been 
traversed  the  height  reached  is  7,000  feet.  This 
great  and  sudden  rise  towards  the  clouds  is  accom 
panied  by  a  great  fall  in  the  temperature  of  the  air. 
The  transition  is  trying  to  the  delicate  chest,  and 
is  borne  witlj  difficulty  by  the  most  robust.  Indeed, 
the  journey  eastward  taxes  the  system  more  than 
that  towards  the  west.  In  the  former  case  the  land 
of  perpetual  sunshine  is  exchanged  for  variable 
weather  and  murky  skies.  It  is  not  surprising  that 


THE  GOLDEN  GATE  TO  THE  AMERICAN  ATHENS.  333 

those  who  have  lived  in  California  should  be  re 
luctant  to  leave  it,  and  after  having  gone  elsewhere 
should  long  to  return  thither.  In  the  train  were 
several  passengers  who  had  migrated  to  California 
from  the  States  to  the  east  of  the  Rocky  Moun 
tains,  in  those  days  when  gold  discoveries  attracted 
thousands  to  the  Pacific  slope.  These  men  are  now 
availing  themselves  of  the  railway  to  visit  what 
they  call  s  the  States/  and  to  see  their  relations 
once  more.  Nothing  so  strikingly  illustrates  the 
comparative  isolation  in  which  the  inhabitants  of 
California  have  lived,  as  the  way  in  which  they 
speak  of  themselves,  not  as  Americans,  but  as  Cali- 
fornians.  Even  the  passengers  who  had  not  been 
( Pioneers,'  who  had  gone  to  the  Pacific  coast  a  few 
years  ago  in  quest  of  health  or  fortune,  were  nearly 
as  enthusiastic  as  the  older  inhabitants.  One  who 
held  a  high  position  in  the  medical  staff  of  the 
Western  army  throughout  the  war,  and  whose 
health  had  been  shattered  by  his  labours,  told  me 
that  after  a  trial  of  two  years  he  had  resolved  to 
abandon  his  home  in  "Wisconsin  and  practise  his 
profession  in  the  exquisite  climate  of  San  Jose. 
He  was  now  on  his  way  eastward,  in  order  to  com 
plete  the  necessary  arrangements.  But  there  is 
another  side  to  the  picture.  I  conversed  with  others 
who  had  visited  San  Francisco  in  the  hope  of 


334  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

finding  lucrative  employment  there,  and  who  were 
returning  home  disappointed  and  dissatisfied.  The 
labour  market  is  overstocked  with  young  men  fitted 
to  do  the  work  of  clerks,  and  with  professional  men 
generally.  Such  persons  are  warned  against  seek 
ing  in  San  Francisco  that  which  they  cannot  find 
in  New  York  or  London.  There  is  room  in  Cali 
fornia  for  thousands  of  emigrants,  but  these  emi 
grants  must  be  prepared  to  engage  in  manual  labour, 
and  especially  in  agricultural  pursuits,  if  they 
would  escape  starvation.  For  the  man  who  can 
rear  vines  or  do  farm  work,  and  who  has  a  small 
amount  of  capital  at  his  disposal,  there  is  no 
place  in  the  world  where  he  can  make  for  himself 
a  comfortable  home  and  accumulate  money  more 
easily  and  certainly  than  the  State  of  California. 
He  can  purchase  excellent  land  for  5s.  an  acre, 
and  can  enjoy  what  a  Sovereign,  condemned  to  live 
in  less  favoured  parts  of  the  world,  cannot  com 
mand — a  climate  which  keeps  him  in  good  health, 
lightens  his  toils  and  enables  him  to  reap  what  he 
has  sown.  I  have  insisted  on  the  advantages  to  be 
enjoyed  in  California  as  respects  climate,  because 
this  is  the  chief  consideration  in  the  matter  of 
bodily  comfort,  as  well  as  the  chief  agent  in  making 
a  nation.  That  the  praises  I  have  vented  on  the 
Californian  climate  are  not  exaggerated  may  be 


THE  GOLDEN  GATE  TO  THE  AMERICAN  ATHENS.  335 

inferred  from  this  circumstance.  It  was  some  time 
after  settlers  had  flocked  here  from  other  parts  of 
the  American  continent  and  from  Europe  before 
the  honey  bee  was  introduced.  This  useful  little 
insect  soon  made  itself  at  home,  and  filled  hives 
with  honey.  After  a  year  or  two  had  elapsed  the 
store  of  honeycomb  was  diminished  to  a  minimum. 
The  bees  found  that  as  flowers  were  in  bloom  all 
the  year  round  there  was  no  necessity  for  laying 
up  a  large  supply  of  honey  against  a  barren  and 
blossomless  winter  season.  Consequently,  arrange 
ments  had  to  be  made  to  deal  with  the  bees  as  with 
hens,  abstracting  the  honey  in  small  portions  in 
order  that  the  formation  of  the  honeycomb  might  go 
on  uninterruptedly.  Perhaps  it  may  prove  interest 
ing  to  add  what  I  have  learned  at  second-hand,  but 
from  unprejudiced  sources,  that  the  highest  eulo- 
giums  passed  upon  the  soil,  sky,  and  climate  of 
California  are  literally  applicable  to  Vancouver's 
Island  also,  and  that  if  Americans  are  to  be  con 
gratulated  on  having  such  a  Garden  of  Eden  as 
California  among  the  States  of  the  Union,  the 
English  people  are  quite  as  fortunate  in  numbering 
Vancouver's  Island  among  the  possessions  of  Great 
Britain.  My  informants  were  Americans,  who  did 
not  conceal  their  desire  to  substitute  in  British 
Columbia  the  Stars  and  Stripes  for  the  Union  Jack. 


336  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

It  is  hardly  creditable  that  a  possession  so  valuable 
should  be  almost  disregarded.  Those  who  are  con 
cerned  in  the  organization  of  emigration  from  Eng 
land  might  do  their  fellow-countrymen  a  service  by 
investigating  the  advantages  of  settling  in  British 
Columbia. 

These  subjects  formed  the  topics  of  conversation 
between  myself  and  several  passengers  by  the  train. 
I  have  recordecf  them  in  preference  to  repeating 
for  the  second  time  particulars  about  the  route 
itself.  It  was  as  unpleasant  in  some  parts  and  as 
enjoyable  in  others  as  on  the  previous  journey.  The 
season  being  more  advanced,  the  cold  was  more 
intense.  Thus  another  discomfort  was  added  to 
those  which  render  the  alkali  plains  the  dread  and 
torment  of  the  traveller.  While  crossing  these 
plains,  and  while  still  in  the  State  of  Nevada, 
several  miners  entered  the  train  at  one  of  the  sta 
tions.  They,  too,  were  bound  East,  in  order  to 
see  their  friends.  Some  of  them  were  wild  in  aspect, 
as  well  as  rough  in  speech.  From  one  of  them  I 
obtained  some  interesting  particulars  respecting  the 
present  state  of  the  silver  mining  region.  He  car 
ried  a  revolver  and  bowie-knife  strapped  round  his 
waist,  and  a  bottle  of  whisky  in  his  pocket.  When 
going  to  his  sleeping  berth  on  the  night  that  he 
entered  the  car,  an  open  display  was  made  of  the 


THE  GOLDEN  GATE  TO  THE  AMERICAN  ATHENS.  337 

deadly  weapons,  and  a  distinct  token  was  given  of 
t'^e  whisky  bottle  having  been  called  too  frequently 
into  requisition.  Early  on  the  following  morning 
as  I  was  standing  on  the  platform  of  the  car,  and 
watching  the  sun  rise,  this  e gentleman'  made  his 
appearance,  and,  after  a  few  preliminary  remarks, 
asked  me  to  '  smile.'  I  had  learned  by  experience 
that  this  is  the  slang  phrase  for  ( taking  a  drink.'  I 
(  smiled '  all  the  more  readily  because  the  morning 
was  intensely  cold,  the  pools  of  water  being  coated 
with  ice.  In  the  course  of  a  few  minutes  this  miner 
told  me  his  name,  his  history,  and  his  intentions. 
He  became  the  more  communicative  when  he  dis 
covered  that  I  was  personally  acquainted  with  one  of 
the  ( prominent  citizens '  of  Austin  City,  Nevada,  a 
gentleman  with  whom  he  had  been  allied  in  some 
mining  enterprises.  He  told  me  that  he  was  known 
by  the  nickname  of s  Slim  Jim,'  that  he  had  crossed 
the  plains  when  quite  a  youth,  had  ( made  his  pile ' 
by  lucky  hits  at  mining,  was  now  about  twenty 
years  of  age,  was  bound  for  Chicago,  in  order  to 
pay  a  visit  to  his  parents,  and  that  he  purposed  re 
turning  in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks  in  order  to 
6  prospect '  certain  parts  of  the  Territory  of  Utah 
which  had  not,  in  his  opinion,  received  sufficient 
attention.  Like  all  the  miners  with  whom  I  formed 
a  temporary  acquaintance  he  had  many  specimens 


338  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

of  ore  in  his  pockets.  He  carried  them  for  the 
avowed  purpose  of  showing  them  as  samples  to 
those  who  might  be  disposed  to  buy  a  share  in  some 
of  his  mines.  He  insisted  upon  my  accepting  some 
of  these  specimens,  which  were  certainly  very  rich 
in  silver.  There  was  nothing  disinterested  in  this. 
I  had  been  favoured  in  a  similar  way  on  many  pre 
vious  occasions  of  a  like  nature.  In  this  part  of 
the  United  States  it  is  as  common  to  advertise  by 
distributing  pieces  of  gold  quartz  or  silver  ore  as  it 
is  in  others  to  give  away  handbills  of  some  nostrum 
for  healing  diseases. 

At  Promontory  Station,  the  sharpers,  whom  I 
have  already  described,*  were  still  actively  plying 
their  nefarious  trade ;  and  at  the  other  stations  in 
the  Territory  of  Utah,  Mormon  girls  and  boys  were 
as  assiduous  as  formerly  in  disposing  of  both  fruit 
and  hand-wrought  gloves  to  the  passengers.  The 
scenery  had  lost  none  of  its  aridity  or  sublimity. 
The  great  Salt  Lake  still  presented  a  spectacle  of 
wonderful  impressiveness,  the  Weber  and  Echo 
Canyons  produced  an  impression  of  even  greater 
majesty  and  wildness  than  when  I  passed  through 
them  earlier  in  the  year.  On  reaching  the  Laramie 
Plains  a  change  came  over  the  scene,  for  the  snow 
began  to  fall  heavily,  and  the  landscape  was  draped 

*  See  p.  186. 


THE  GOLDEN  GATE  TO  THE  AMERICAN  ATHENS.  339 

in  white.  This  gave  a  variety  to  the  prospect,  and 
rendered  the  hills  more  imposing  in  appearance. 
On  the  other  hand,  it  retarded  the  progress  of  the 
train.  The  engine  became  unequal  to  its  task,  and 
two  hours  were  consumed  in  passing  over  the  dis 
tance  of  four  miles.  This  detention  led  to  a  break 
in  the  arrangements.  The  line  being  a  single  one, 
the  rule  is  for  a  train  which  is  behind  time  to  lose 
the  right  to  the  road,  and  the  result  is,  that  it  must 
stop  at  the  appointed  sidings  till  the  trains  coming 
in  the  opposite  direction  have  passed  along.  Thus 
it  happened  that  when  Omaha  was  reached,  the  cor 
responding  train  on  one  of  the  railways  running 
east  had  left,  and  the  passengers  who  had  through 
tickets  over  that  line  had  to  pass  the  night  a£ 
Omaha.  Others  who,  like  myself,  were  bound  for 
Chicago  by  the  North  Western,  were  able  to  con 
tinue  our  journey,  as  the  train  had  waited  our 
arrival.  In  due  time  we  arrived  at  the  chief  city  of 
the  Western  States,  and  continued  our  eastern 
journey  amidst  a  snow-storm.  I  now  learned  the 
advantage  of  having  the  cars  comfortably  heated  by 
hot  air  stoves.  In  an  English  railway  carriage  this 
journey  would  have  been  disagreeable  beyond  mea 
sure,  if  not  fraught  with  serious  consequences  to 
health.  As  it  was,  the  Pullman  car  in  which  we 


340  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

travelled  was  as   comfortable   as  the  best  warmed 
room  in  an  English  house. 

The  superiority  of  these  cars  is  rendered  the 
more  apparent  when  the  traveller  has  to  exchange 
seats  in  them  for  those  which  run  over  the  lines  in 
the  States  of  New  York  and  Massachusetts.  At 
Albany  the  carriages  which  go  to  Boston  are  sepa 
rated  from  those  which  go  on  to  New  York. 
Springfield  and  Worcester  are  the  chief  places  cf 
note  between  Albany  and  Boston.  The  former  is 
the  seat  of  the  United  States  Arsenal.  Near  the 
latter  is  Lake  Quinsigamond  whereon  the  annual 
boat  races  are  contested  between  the  Universities  of 
Harvard  and  Yale.  The  scenery  along  the  line  is 
Varied  and  picturesque.  The  abundance  of  wood 
and  water  seems  a  fine  feature  in  the  landscape  to 
those  who  have  just  crossed  the  treeless  and  arid 
plains  in  the  heart  of  the  Continent.  This  contrast 
is  alike  great  and  pleasing,  but  it  is  neither  greater 
nor  more  gratifying  than  that  between  the  capital 
of  Massachusetts  and  the  largest  city  on  the  Pacific 
slope,  between  Boston  with  its  classic  memories,  its 
long-established  order,  its  intellectual  triumphs,  and 
San  Francisco  with  its  lawless  episodes,  its  tnrdy 
submission  to  the  reign  of  law,  and  its  feverish  chase 
after  material  riches. 


XXIV. 

BOSTON  CITY  AND  HAEVARV   UNIVERSITY. 

SEVERAL  VISITORS  to  the  Capital  of  Massachu 
setts  have  been  struck  with  its  resemblance  to  an 
English  city.  Its  inhabitants  deem  the  likeness 
creditable,  and  seem  flattered  when  it  is  detected 
and  praised.  The  similarity,  however,  is  purely 
superficial,  being  confined  to  the  irregular  arrange 
ment  of  the  streets,  the  form  and  colour  of  the 
houses.  These  things  are  but  as  rouge  on  the  skin 
of  a  beauty  and  of  a  wig  on  the  head  of  a  beau. 
They  are  accidents  and  not  essentials,  external 
marks  which  do  not  typify  the  hidden  and  ani 
mating  essence.  In  those  things  which  differentiate 
one  city  from  another  Boston  is  unlike  any  other 
city  in  either  the  Old  World  or  the  New.  Bostonians 
have  better  reason  to  rejoice  in  the  points  of  dissimi 
larity  than  in  those  of  resemblance.  They  have 
substantiated  a  claim  to  the  honourable  title  of 
the  Athenians  of  America;  they  are  members  of 
the  select  and  glorious  company  which,  while  not 


342  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

despising  wealth  and  material  prosperity,  yet  counts 
such  things  but  as  dust  in  the  balance  and  con 
temptible  dross  unless  the  riches  arc  gilded  with 
intellect  and  the  success  is  ennobled  by  the  pursuit 
of  a  lofty  ideal.  They  are  in  the  van  of  that  form 
of  civilization  which  is  distinctively  American  and 
of  which  the  mission  and  the  pride  consist  in  de 
monstrating  to  a  sceptical  and  sneering  world  that 
the  most  uncompromising  and  perfect  Republicanism 
tends  to  elevate  rather  than  to  vulgarize,  to  beautify 
rather  than  to  tarnish,  to  quicken  the  pulse  of 
generous  self-sacrifice  rather  than  to  repress  all  the 
finer  feelings  of  human  nature,  and  enshrines  in 
men's  minds,  as  the  only  idols  to  which  homage  can 
fitly  be  paid,  the  highest  form  of  social  breeding 
and  the  most  finished  patterns  of  mental  culture. 

Boston  is  notable  among  the  cities  of  the  Union 
for  its  purely  English  origin  and  its  genuine 
American  development.  Those  who  first  settled 
here  were  English  to  the  backbone,  and  they  were 
the  flower  of  their  generation.  According  to  them 
there,  was  something  more  to  be  desired  than  the 
favour  of  a  Prince  and  the  highest  worldly  honours. 
They  prized  as  a  second  heritage  of  their  race  the 
right  to  exercise  their  opinions  without  reference  to 
what  they  considered  were  the  corrupted  tests  of 
degenerate  men,  and  to  regard  the  present  world 


BOSTON  CITY  AND  HAEVAED  UNIVEESITY.     343 

as  an  arena  in  which  the  pure  in  heart  were  destined 
to  strive  for  a  heavenly  crown.  In  thus  thinking 
they  were  directly  opposed  to  the  predominant 
notions  of  their  age.  Their  whole  life  was  a  revolt 
against  the  existing  authorities  and  accepted  canons 
of  interpretation.  It  was  to  preserve  themselves 
unspotted  from  the  world  that  they  crossed  the 
Atlantic,  and  when  they  set  foot  on  Plymouth 
Hock  they  brought  with  them  the  prolific  germs  of 
the  ideas  whereof  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States  is  the  accurate  and  logical  expression.  From 
the  beginning  they  manifested  an  irrefrangible  re 
solve  to  do  what  they  believed  to  be  right  and  to 
dare  everything  when  giving  practical  effect  to  their 
convictions.  Unfortunately  for  the  minority  among 
them,  the  majority  were  too  confident  that  they  were 
the  sole  repositories  of  the  truth.  There  is  some 
thing  ludicrous  as  well  as  sad  in  the  interference  ex 
ercised  with  regard  to  the  concerns  of  the  individual. 
This  was,  however,  nothing  more  than  the  necessary 
product  of  their  education,  combined  with  the  fruit 
of  their  theories.  To  stigmatise  the  Puritans  of 
New  England  as  petty  despots  is  not  to  blame  them 
with  exceptional  severity ;  but  to  make  the  charge 
and  overlook  or  disregard  the  explanation  is  to 
become  their  accomplices.  They  could  not  shake 
off  the  influence  of  old  traditions  or  emancipate 


344  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

themselves  from  the  yoke  of  evil  example  in  a  day 
or  a  year  They  had  lived  in  England,  where  the 
ways  of  the  Tudor  and  Stuart  autocrats  had  become 
examples  which  it  was  deemed  right  to  copy,  so 
long  as  the  end  in  view  was  reconcilable  with  Scrip 
ture.  Their  fathers  had  taught  them  to  obey 
decrees  which  prohibited  certain  persons  from  wear 
ing  apparel  of  specified  colours  and  patterns,  and 
eating  food  of  a  particular  kind.  They  knew  that 
even  the  High  Court  of  Parliament  had  not  re 
spected  the  sanctity  of  the  coffin,  but  had  enjoined, 
under  a  heavy  penalty,  that  the  dead  should  be  laid 
in  their  last  home  wrapped  in  a  woollen  shroud. 
When  these  men  had  the  power,  they  abused  it  after 
the  fashion  of  those  whom  they  had  been  trained  to 
respect.  Under  the  pretext  that  certain  acts  were 
snares  of  the  Devil  and  abominations  to  the  Lord, 
they  put  in  force  a  hateful  system  of  interference 
with  personal  freedom.  The  Pilgrim  Fathers  were 
undoubtedly  sincere,  but  they  had  the  misfortune  to 
be  mistaken  men.  In  due  time  their  blunders  were 
perceived  and  atoned  for.  The  claims  of  the  indi 
vidual  conscience  were  recognized  as  being  subject 
to  no  other  appeal  than  to  the  individual  him 
self.  The  affairs  of  what  was  really  a  straiglit- 
laced  theology,  but  was  supposed  to  be  religion, 
were  eventually  severed  from  the  affairs  of  State. 


BOSTON  CITY  AND  IIAEVABD  UNIVERSITY.      345 

Yet  with  this  separation  the  ardour  for  promul 
gating  and  enforcing  what  was  considered  the  truth 
did  not  wax  cold  or  die  out.  The  Puritan  spirit 
survived  the  intolerant  Puritan  creed.  The  cause 
for  which  the  enlightened  progeny  of  the  original 
settlers  combated  was  happily  in  complete  accord 
with  the  precepts  of  world-honoured  sages  and  the 
conclusions  of  the  greatest  among  philosophers. 
In  vindication  of  the  immortal  principles  which 
prescribe  how  absolute  justice  should  be  executed 
between  man  and  man,  the  citizens  of  Boston 
were  the  chief  instigators  and  the  heroes  of  two 
decisive  and  embittered  conflicts,  the  first  of  which 
established  the  independence  of  their  country,  the 
second  justified  that  independence  by  annihilating 
slavery. 

There  is  much  in  the  early  history  of  the  settlers 
in  New  England  that  seems  to  us  utterly  contemp 
tible.  The  incessant  wrangling  about  religious 
dogmas  and  human  duties,  which  constituted  their 
daily  occupation  during  many  years,  appears  to  the 
men  of  the  nineteenth  century  quite  as  frivolous  and 
foolish  as  the  controversies  of  the  schoolmen.  Yet 
the  talk  was  not  all  empty,  nor  were  the  discussions 
all  aimless.  They  necessarily  implied  and  compelled 
an  acquaintance  with  subjects  which  education 
could  alone  impart,  and  the  controversies  engen- 


346  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

dered  by  the  pulpit  led  to  the  foundation  and  main 
tenance  of  the  school.  The  man  who  could  not 
read  was  a  useless  member  of  society.  It  was  felt 
that,  in  order  to  promote  the  objects  which  were 
generally  admitted  to  be  laudable,  the  education  of 
the  young  was  indispensable.  Hence  an  impetus 
was  given  to  teaching  which  outlasted  the  special 
reason  whereon  it  was  based.  It  became  as  much  a 
matter  of  course  that  the  youth  of  Massachusetts 
should  cultivate  their  intellects  as  that  they  should 
learn  how  to  handle  a  gun  or  guide  the  plough. 
The  result  is  now  beheld  in  the  position  which 
mental  attainments  have  enabled  the  citizens  of 
Boston  to  acquire  despite  the  disproportion  of 
numbers  and  wealth.  Their  weight  in  the  councils 
of  the  Union  is  due  to  their  indisputable  superiority 
in  culture  and  learning. 

Coming  as  I  did  from  San  Francisco,  where 
culture  is  the  exception,  to  a  city  where  it  is  the 
rule,  the  transition  was  impressive  and  noteworthy. 
On  the  Pacific  coast  I  found  that  the  men  of  wealth 
cared  for  nothing  but  to  heap  up  money,  and  would 
not  even  aid  in  helping  those  who  were  labouring 
to  stock  a  library  with  the  treasures  of  the  mind. 
Within  sight  of  the  Atlantic  the  reverse  was  the 
fact.  Merely  to  name  the  libraries  in  Boston  would 
fill  much  space,  while  to  describe  all  that  the 


EOSTON  CITY  AND  IIARVAED  UNIVERSITY.      347 

wisdom  of  the  civic  authorities  and  the  munificence 
of  individuals  have  done  towards  promoting  the 
acquirement  and  increase  of  knowledge  would  re 
quire  a  volume.  If  then  I  would  give  any  illus 
tration  of  my  statement,  I  must  confine  myself  to  a 
single  case.  Nor  is  it  difficult  to  do  this  satisfac 
torily.  Kecent  events  have  made  the  name  of 
Harvard  a  familiar  one  to  English  ears.  An  account 
of  what  Harvard  has  been  and  now  is  may  then  be 
welcome  to  English  readers,  while  serving  as  an 
example  of  the  manner  in  which  the  citizens  of 
Massachusetts  have  honoured  and  advanced  the 
higher  departments  of  learning. 

Earl  Bellamont,  Governor  of  Massachusetts,  said 
in  his  message  to  the  General  Court  in  1699, f  It 
is  a  very  great  advantage  you  have  above  other 
provinces,  that  your  youth  are  not  put  to  travel  for 
learning,  but  have  the  Muses  at  their  doors.'  This 
was  intended  as  a  high  compliment  to  Harvard  Col 
lege,  then  the  chief  seminary  of  sound  learning  on 
the  North  American  Continent.  That  college  was 
neither  young  nor  undistinguished  at  the  time  the 
Governor  wrote.  It  was  then  sixty-three  years  old, 
and  had  been  presided  over  by  some  of  the  most 
distinguished  among  the  many  able  men  who  were 
enslaved  in  founding  on  land  reclaimed  from  the 

O     O  O 

wilderness,  and  haunted  by  savages  and  wild  beasts, 
16 


348  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

a  new  and  a  mighty  England.  Sixteen  years  after 
the  Pilgrim  Fathers  disembarked  at  Plymouth 
Rock,  the  Legislature  of  the  colony  of  Massachu 
setts  Bay  resolved  to  establish  a  college.  A  sum 
of  money  was  set  apart  for  the  purpose.  This  reso 
lution  was  as  remarkable  as  it  was  wise  and  high- 

O 

spirited.  In  one  of  the  great  speeches  of  the  late 
Mr.  Everett,  the  occasion  was  justly  eulogised  as 
the  first  e  on  which  a  people  ever  taxed  themselves 
to  found  a  place  of  education.'  The  same  renowned 
orator  further  said  that  Harvard  College  'was  an 
institution  established  by  the  people's  means  for  the 
people's  benefit/  and  he  was  able  to  make  the 
proud  boast  that  at  no  jperiod  had  Harvard  ever 
been  'indebted  to  the  Crown  for  a  dollar  or  a 
book.'  Yet  Harvard  owes  a  debt  to  England  and 
Englishmen  which  she  has  never  ceased  to  acknow 
ledge  with  undissembled  gratitude.  The  Rev.  John 
Harvard,  an  English  clergyman,  who  emigrated  to 
America,  took  up  his  abode  in  the  colony  of  Massa 
chusetts,  and  died  in  1638,  bequeathed  his  library 
and  the  half  of  his  fortune  to  the  infant  institution. 
The  example  was  speedily  followed,  and  money 
flowed  in  on  all  hands.  Not  long  afterwards  the 
name  of  the  localitv  was  changed  from  Newtown 
to  Cambridge,  in  honour  of  the  many  Cambridge 
graduates,  who,  like  Mr.  Harvard,  had  thrown  in 


BOSTON  CITY  AND  HARVARD  UNIVERSITY.     349 

their  lot  with  the  settlers.  It  has  been  estimated 
that  in  1638  there  was  one  Cambridge  graduate  to 
every  200  or  250  inhabitants  of  the  New  England 
villages.  Hardly  less  memorable  than  this  is  the 
fact  that  the  American  offshoot  from  the  grand  old 
University  which  has  done  so  much  for  the  cause 
of  English  liberty,  sent  forth  the  earliest  protest 
made  in  America  against  pusillanimous  submission 
to  the  tyranny  of  the  civil  magistrate.  Among  the 
records  in  which  the  alumni  of  Harvard  still  take 
delight  is  one  chronicling  how,  in  1743,  Samuel 
Adams,  when  taking  his  degree,  maintained  the 
thesis,  c  that  it  was  lawful  to  resist  the  Chief  Magis 
trate  if  the  State  cannot  otherwise  be  preserved.' 

It  is  not  my  design  to  write  an  elaborate  his 
torical  sketch  of  the  career  of  6  the  University  at 
Cambridge,'  as  Harvard  College  is  designated  in 
the  constitution  of  the  State  of  Massachusetts. 
Such  an  account  would  contain  many  statements 
not  wholly  creditable  to  those  who,  in  bygone  days, 
were  in  authority  here.  Like  other  seats  of  learn 
ing  Harvard  has  had  its  share  of  jealousies  fomented 
by  rivalry  and  of  dissensions  having  their  root  in 
theological  differences.  These,  however,  have  neither 
checked  the  growth  nor  lessened  the  popularity  of 
the  University  itself.  Besides,  they  are  events  of 
days  which  have  passed  away,  and  possess  little  in- 


350  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

terest  for  any  one  but  the  historian  or  the  antiquary. 
Nevertheless,  before  proceeding  to  speak  of  Har 
vard  as  she  now  is,  a  few  extracts  from  official 
documents  illustrative  of  what  she  was  in  olden 
times  may  prove  useful  and  interesting.  As  in  the 
statutes  of  our  English  universities,  so  in  those  of 
Harvard  many  of  the  provisions  are  admirable, 
while  others  appear  harsh  to  modern  readers,  and 
ridiculous  to  modern  students.  For  example,  it  is 
ordained  in  '  The  Laws,  Liberties,  and  Orders  of 
Harvard  College,'  dated  1642-6,  that  the  students 
6  shall  be  slow  to  speak,  and  eschew  not  only  oaths, 
lies,  and  uncertain  rumours,  but  likewise  all  idle, 
foolish,  bitter,  scoffing,  frothy,  wanton  words,  and 
offensive  gestures;'  that  'none  shall  pragmatically 
intrude  or  intermeddle  in  other  men's  affairs;'  and 
that  f  no  scholar  shall  buy,  sell,  or  exchange  any 
thing,  to  the  value  of  sixpence,  without  the  allow 
ance  of  his  parents,  guardians,  or  tutors.'  The  last 
proviso  seems  to  have  been  framed  with  a  view  to 
stifle  that  love  for  bargaining  and  bartering  with 
which  New  Englanders  have  long  been  credited. 
The  following  is  in  still  more  direct  opposition  to 
the  practical  spirit  which  is  universally  regarded 
as  the  leading  characteristic  of  Americans  : — (  The 
scholars  shall  never  use  their  mother  tongue,  except 
that  in  public  exercises  of  oratory,  or  such  like, 


BOSTON  CITY  AND  HARVARD  UNIVERSITY.      351 

they  be  called  to  make  them  in  English.'  In  the 
orders  issued  by  the  overseers  in  1650  there  is  the 
following  prohibition  against  the  use  of  tobacco : — 
'  No  scholar  shall  take  tobacco  unless  permitted  by 
the  president,  with  the  consent  of  their  parents  or 
guardians,  and  on  good  reason  first  given  by  a  phy 
sician,  and  then  in  a  sober  and  private  manner.' 
Quite  as  curious  as  these  obsolete  regulations  are 
the  successive  changes  which  Harvard's  motto  has 
undergone.  On  the  College  Seal,  made  in  1642, 
the  simple,  yet  significant  word  '  Veritas'  was  alone 
engraved.  Subsequently,  this  was  exchanged  for 
the  motto  f  In  Christo  Gloriam,'  and  finally  the 
present  one  was  adopted,  which  is  '  Christo  et 
Ecclcsiae.'  On  the  outside  of  one  of  the  halls  a 
facsimile  in  stone  of  the  original  seal  is  to  be  seen. 
The  first  four  letters  are  inscribed  on  the  inside  of 
two  open  volumes ;  the  last  three  are  on  the  outside 
of  a  third  volume.  This  has  been  ingeniously  ex 
plained  as  indicating  f  that  no  one  human  book  con 
tains  the  whole  truth  on  any  subject,  and  that  in 
order  to  get  at  the  real  end  of  the  matter  we  must 
be  careful  to  look  on  both  sides.'  While  nearly* 
everything'  has  undergone  some  change  or  a  com 
plete  transformation  throughout  New  England,  the 
University  at  Cambridge  is  substantially  the  same 
now  in  spirit  and  fact  as  it  was  two  centuries  ago. 


352  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

Old  buildings  remain  to  show  to  the  present  genera 
tion  what  manner  of  edifices  their  forefathers  erected 
and  occupied.  In  the  proximity  of  halls  over  which 
centuries  have  passed  are  modern  edifices  in  the 
style  of  a  period  which  thinks  quite  as  highly  of 
ornament  as  of  utility,  or  rather  which  strives  to 
combine  them  both.  Most  striking  among  the 
latter  is  the  library.  This  is  a  substantial  stone 
building  in  the  plain  Gothic  style.  It  contains 
nearly  200,000  volumes  in  every  department  of 
literature,  the  collection  of  scientific  works  being 
very  large,  and  the  collection  of  pamphlets  being 
exceedingly  valuable.  Just  as  one  Englishman 
gave  a  stimulus  to  the  good  work  of  founding  Har 
vard  College,  so  have  other  Englishmen  contributed 
to  increase  the  treasures  of  its  library.  The  atten 
tion  of  the  visitor  from  England  is  pointedly  called 
to  the  munificent  benefaction  of  Mr.  Hollis,  of  Lin 
coln's  Inn,  an  Englishman  who,  in  the  last  century, 
enriched  the  library  with  his  own  splendid  collection 
of  books.  His  name,  along  with  those  of  other  dis 
tinguished  donors  and  notable  men,  may  be  seen  in 
conspicuous  parts  of  the  principal  room.  No  hin 
drances  are  put  in  the  way  of  non-students  profiting 
by  this  fine  library.  With  a  liberality  which  can 
not  be  too  strongly  commended  or  too  widely  imi 
tated,  the  University  authorities  have  treated  their 


BOSTON  CITY  AND  HAVAED  UNIVERSITY.     353 

library  as  the  common  property  of  thirsters  after 
knowledge,  and  have  rendered  access  to  it  very  easy 
to  all  respectable  persons.     Speaking  generally,  it 
may  be  said  with  truth  that  the  system  in  operation 
at  Harvard  is  the  same  as  that  prevailing  in  our 
Universities  at  home.     One  of  the  differences  is  the 
method  of  teaching,  which  resembles  that  in  vogue 
at  Edinburgh  and  other  University  cities  of  Scot 
land.    The  students  are  more  youthful  than  English 
undergraduates,  and  the  professors  teach  more  than 
they  lecture.     Another  essential  difference  is  the 
custom   of  regarding   all   the   students  who  have 
entered  during  the  same  year  as  belonging  to  one 
class.     The  class  does  not  cease  to  exist  when  the 
University  course  is  at  an  end.    An  honorary  secre 
tary  is  elected,  whose  duty  consists  in  compiling  a 
catalogue  of  the  several  members,  with  a  short  bio 
graphy  of  each.    Once  a  year  every  one  who  thinks 
fit  to  do  so  forwards  such  particulars  as  he  may 
deem  interesting  to  his  classmates.     These  records 
are   preserved,  and  when  the   class   dies  out  the 
whole  of  the  documents  are  deposited  among  the 
University  archives.     Being  printed  for  private  cir 
culation  only,  the  class  lists  are  more  minute  in 
their  details  than  they  might  be  were  the  informa 
tion  communicated  to  the  public.     Judging   from 
those  which  I  have  been  permitted  to  inspect,  I 


354  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

may  affirm  with  perfect  confidence  that  the  public 
does  not  always  lose  much  which  is  really  valuable 
by  being  kept  in  ignorance  of  what  the  members  of 
each  class  think  of  themselves  and  of  each  other. 
If  many  of  the  facts  communicated  are  worthy  of 
record,  others  are  so  trivial  as  to  merit  oblivion. 
Amateur  theatricals  combine  with  boating  to  give 
the  students  scope  for  the  display  of  their  powers  in 
other  fields  than  those  of  science  and  the  arts. 
How  far  proficiency  on  the  stage  contributes  to  a 
student's  success  in  after  life  is  a  problem  as  diffi 
cult  to  solve  as  that  which  relates  to  the  value  of 
rowing  as  an  element  in  University  education.  As 
the  result  of  investigation,  it  may  be  asserted  that 
the  average  number  of  reading  men  at  Harvard  is 
the  same  as  that  at  the  Universities  of  Europe.  All 
the  world  over,  a  large  proportion  of  young  men 
has  a  decided  taste  for  that  kind  of  work  which  can 
with  difficulty  be  distinguished  from  play. 

A  notice  of  Harvard  would  be  as  incomplete 
without  a  reference  to  the  Porcellian  Club  as  a 
notice  of  Oxford  or  Cambridge  would  be  in  which 
the  Union  Debating  Society  held  no  place.  This 
and  the  Hasty  Pudding  Club,  an  association  for 
performing  amateur  theatricals,  are  the  two  lions  of 
Harvard.  The  Porcellian  Club  is  hardly  a  place  of 
resort  for  those  who  cultivate  the  intellect  at  the 


BOSTON  CITY  AND  I1AVAED  UNIVERSITY.      355 

expense  of  the  body.  It  is  a  very  mundane  and  by 
no  means  unpleasant  institution.  The  list  of  active 
members  is  small,  owing  in  part  to  the  largeness  of 
the  annual  subscription.  The  great  desire  of  every 
student  is  to  become  a  member  of  it,  or,  in  default, 
to  learn  what  its  members  really  do  and  enjoy.  As 
the  doings  of  the  club  are  shrouded  in  secrecy,  many 
curious  stories  are  current  on  the  subject.  All 
that  can  be  said  by  a  stranger  who  has  been  privi 
leged  to  step  behind  the  scenes  is  that  the  mysteries 
are  rites  which  can  be  practised  without  much 
labour,  and  yield  a  pleasure  which  is  fraught  with 
no  unpleasant  consequences.  On  the  whole,  the 
alumni  of  Harvard  have  good  reason  to  glory 
in  their  ancient  University.  She  has  proved  the 
fruitful  mother  of  great  men  and  of  patriotic  citi 
zens.  The  roll  of  her  teachers  is  studded  with 
famous  names.  To  the  energy  and  enthusiasm  of 
her  teachers  and  graduates  much  of  the  vigour  dis 
played  in  the  heroic  struggle  for  American  inde 
pendence,  and  much  of  the  foresight  and  wisdom 
manifested  by  the  framers  of  the  American  Consti 
tution,  are  unquestionably  due.  Nor  did  the  second 
great  contest,  when  the  issue  between  justice  and 
tyranny  was  again  fought  out  in  the  war  which 
slaveholders  began  and  in  which  slavery  was  ex 
tinguished,  find  the  University  at  Cambridge  an 


356  WESTWARD  BY  HAIL. 

unconcerned  spectator.  There  is  something  irre 
sistibly  touching  in  the  stories,  told  without  osten 
tation  but  with  justifiable  pride,  of  the  students  who 
went  forth  to  serve  as  eager  volunteers  in  the  ranks 
of  the  great  National  army.  Of  these  many  fell  on 
the  battlefield,  others  perished  in  the  camp,  while 
few  lived  to  return  home  unscarred  and  sound  in 
limb. 

In  one  respect,  the  Harvard  College  of  to-day  is 
far  in  advance  of  what  it  was  two  centuries  since. 
For  those  who  profess  different  creeds  there  is  now 
a  latitude  and  kindly  toleration  such  as  the  early 
Puritan  settlers  neither  practised  nor  understood. 
In  other  respects  the  transformation  has  been  com 
plete.  The  unbending  and  gloomy  Calvinism  of 
the  first  settlers  has  been  repudiated  by  their  de 
scendants.  While  all  religious  sects  arc  repre 
sented  here,  the  religion  of  the  majority  is  that 
liberal,  tolerant,  and  rational  creed  which  is  pro 
fessed  by  Unitarians. 

If  Harvard  University  owes  much  to  the  English 
man  who  bequeathed  to  her  the  larger  portion  of 
his  substance — a  gift  she  has  amply  acknowledged, 
to  use  the  late  Mr.  Everett's  words,  by  giving  to 
f  an  unknown  stranger  a  deathless  name  ' — she  has 
also  done  much  to  conquer  the  admiration  of  all  who 
speak  and  honour  the  English  tongue.  While  the 


BOSTON  CITY  AND  HAVARD  UNIVERSITY.      357 

alumni  of  Harvard  demonstrate  their  daring  and 
prowess  in  friendly  rivalry  with  their  English 
brethren,  it  is  meet  that  the  latter  should  visit  the 
oldest  and  most  famous  among  the  Universities  of 
America,  for  by  so  doing  they  would  find  much  to 
admire,  something  to  learn,  and  many  things  in 
which  to  glory. 


358  WESTWARD  EY  KAIL. 


XXV. 

JSfEW  YORK  TO  EUSTOX  SQUARE. 

THE  PACIFIC  RAILWAY  was  primarily  designed 
to  link  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  shores  of  the  United 
States.  That  passengers  and  produce  should  be 
carried  with  the  greatest  possible  speed  between  the 
principal  cities  of  California  and  Oregon  and  those 
of  the  Middle  and  Eastern  States  is  what  everyone 
who  had  at  heart  the  development  of  the  internal 
resources  and  the  commerce  of  the  country  felt 
naturally  bound  to  further.  The  railway  is  a  means 
towards  the  accomplishment  of  the  desired "  result. 
But  it  has  also  been  regarded  as  an  instrument  for 
the  promotion  of  a  still  grander  object.  It  is  sup 
posed  to  be  destined  to  revolutionize  the  commerce 
of  the  world  by  affording  increased  facilities  for 
the  reciprocal  transference  of  goods  and  passengers 
between  China,  Japan,  Australia,  and  Europe.  The 
nearest  way  from  Paris  or  London  to  Yokohama, 
Shanghae,  or  Sidney  is  said  'to  lie  across  the 
Atlantic,  the  Continent  of  America  and  the  Pacific 


NEW  YORK  TO  EUSTOX  SQUARE.  359 

Ocean.  An  important  element  in  any  calculation 
relating  to  the  subject  is  the  certainty  of  the  journey 
being  completed  within  a  specified  time.  This 
matter  is  one  still  open  to  speculation.  There  is 
no  question  that,  if  existing  arrangements  were 
carried  out  to  the  letter,  the  value  of  the  new  route 
would  be  demonstrated.  For  my  own  part  I  cannot 
maintain  that  the  traveller  who  puts  his  trust  in 
time-tables,  whether  these  relate  to  steam-boats  or 
railway  trains,  exhibits  a  well-founded  confidence. 

When  I  journeyed  from  New  York  to  San 
Francisco  the  time  occupied  was  nearly  a  day  longer 
than  the  allotted  period.  The  same  thing  occurred 
on  the  return  journey.  The  traveller  whose  destina 
tion  is  not  New  York  but  London  must  take  note  of 
another  consideration.  He  probably  has  a  decided 
preference  for  one  out  of  the  many  lines  of  steamers 
which  make  the  passage  across  the  Atlantic.  If 
forced  by  circumstances  to  be  economical,  his  chief 
desire  will  be  to  travel  at  the  cheapest  rate,  yet  he 
may  not  wish  to  forego  comfort.  If  he  be  one  of 
the  favoured  few  who  need  take  no  thought  about 
money,  he  will  probably  yearn  to  secure  his  per 
sonal  safety.  The  outlay  necessary  to  secure  a 
first-class  passage  ranges  from  thirteen  guineas  to 
twenty-six  pounds,  according  to  the  Company  which 
is  patronized.  Although  a  steamer  is  said  to  sail 


360  WESTWARD  BY  HAIL. 

daily  from  New  York,  yet  there  is  generally  the 
interval  of  a  week,  and  sometimes  of  a  fortnight, 
between  the  days  of  sailing  of  the  vessels  belonging 
to  a  particular  Company.  When  these  facts  are 
duly  considered  it  becomes  clear  that  to  journey 
from  San  Francisco  to  London  with  entire  satisfac 
tion  in  the  space  of  eighteen  days  is  a  feat  much 
more  easily  performed  on  paper  than  in  reality. 

When  New  York  is  the  place  whence  the  traveller 
begins  his  Atlantic  voyage,  the  opportunities  for 
examining  the  steam-ships  of  the  several  shipping 
lines  prior  to  engaging  a  berth  are  greater  than 
those  which  can  be  enjoyed  elsewhere.  The  vessels 
which  sail  from  Bremen  and  Hamburg,  Brest  and 
London,  Liverpool  and  Glasgow,  all  take  up  their 
moorings  at  one  of  the  wharves  on  the  North  River. 
To  those  who  are  unbiassed  by  national  prejudices, 
and  uninfluenced  by  pecuniary  considerations  or 
personal  prepossessions  the  variety  of  choice  is  almost 
too  great.  First  comes  the  Cunard  line  with  its 
high  fares  and  high  reputation.  Second  on  the  list 
is  the  Inman  line  which  is  struggling  to  rival  the 
Cunard  by  making  more  rapid  voyages,  and  which 
charges  lower  fares.  The  Guion  and  the  National 
lines  are  of  more  recent  date  and  rely  for  patronage 
rather  upon  lowness  of  charge  than  upon  rapidity 
of  passage.  The  steamers  of  these  lines  sail  to 


NEW  YORK  TO  EUSTON  SQUAEE.  361 

Liverpool,  touching  at  Queenstown.  Those  of  the 
Anchor  line  touch  at  Londonderry,  on  the  way  to 
Glasgow.  The  steamers  of  the  Hamburg  and  New 
York  line  touch  at  Plymouth  and  Brest  when 
voyaging  between  the  cities  of  which  the  names 
form  its  designation,  while  those  of  the  North 
German  Lloyd  touch  at  Southampton  on  the  way 
between  New  York  and  Bremen.  The  London 
and  New  York  line  has  a  fortnightly  service  between 
the  Thames  and  the  Hudson,  while  the  Compagnie 
Transatlantique  conveys  passengers  between  Brest 
and  New  York.  In  this  list  the  name  of  an 
American  steamship  company  does  not  appear,  for 
the  conclusive  reason  that  no  such  company  exists. 
The  carrying  trade  as  well  as  the  passenger  traffic 
across  the  Atlantic  is  in  English,  German,  or 
French  hands;  even  the  mails  of  the  United  States 
being  transported  in  foreign  vessels.  That  this 
should  be  the  case  is  due  not  to  deficiency  in  enter 
prise,  but  to  the  ascendency  of  a  system  which  is 
supposed  to  give  protection  to  the  native  industry 
and  to  the  shipping  interests  of  the  American  people. 
At  present  the  shipbuilders  of  the  Clyde  can  supply 
iron  steamships  at  lower  prices  than  the  ship 
builders  of  any  other  part  of  the  world.  Nearly  all 
the  companies  named  above  have  had  their  vessels 
built  on  the  banks  of  the  Clyde.  Even  the  French 


362  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

shipowner  has  found  it  profitable  to  purchase 
British-built  iron  steamers.  But  the  American 
shipowner  cannot  do  this  if  he  would.  Conse 
quently,  he  is  at  a  disadvantage  when  compared 
with  his  foreign  rivals.  They  are  free  to  make 
contracts  which  redound  to  their  profit,  while  he  is 
so  carefully  protected  against  using  his  own  dis 
cretion  as  to  be  helpless  to  perform  that  which  he 
deems  the  best  for  himself.  The  political  freedom 
enjoyed  by  the  citizens  of  the  United  States  has 
made  their  country  the  envy  of  less  favoured  nations 
and  one  of  the  wonders  of  the  world.  When  the 
enlightened  policy  of  free  exchange  shall  be  substi 
tuted  for  the  mediajval  policy  of  protection,  not  only 
will  the  condition  of  the  American  people  be  vastly 
improved,  but  the  progress  of  their  country  will  be 
even  more  rapid  than  it  has  been,  while  the  admira 
tion  of  those  who  watch  and  welcome  its  advance 
will  be  all  the  greater  and  all  the  more  sincere. 

A  countryman  and  travelling  companion,  whose 
attachment  to  the  flag  and  liking  for  the  Cunard 
line  were  too  strong  to  be  overcome  by  the  tempta 
tion  of  novelty  even  when  presented  in  the  form 
of  German  steamers  famed  for  the  comfort  of  their 
arrangements,  having  resolved  to  return  home  in 
the  Cuba,  I  took  my  passage  in  that  steamer  also. 
It  is  noteworthy  how  those  who  frequently  cross  the 


NEW  YORK  TO  EUSTON  SQUARE.  3G3 

Atlantic  acquire  preferences  for  certain  steam-ships. 
They  do  this  for  the  same  reason  that  a  traveller  re 
turns  to  the  hotel  at  which  he  is  specially  welcome 
because  there  he  is  personally  known.  An  Atlantic 
steam-boat  is  but  a  floating  hotel,  and  acquaintance 
with  those  who  are  permanently  on  board  ensures 
an  amount  of  attention  for  which  the  new-comer 
looks  in  vain.  Some  Americans  who  were  among 
my  fellow  passengers  spoke  strongly  in  favour  of 
the  Cuba.  They  had  sailed  in  her  at  different 
seasons  of  the  year  and  when  on  board  felt  less 
apprehension  for  their  safety  than  when  in  other 
steamers  or  when  in  a  railway  train.  She  had  not 
a  reputation  for  speed ;  but  she  was  a  good  seaboat. 
Starting  an  hour  after  the  Colcrado,  a  vessel  belong 
ing  to  the  Guion  line,  we  had  an  opportunity  of 
seeing  which  was  the  more  rapid  sailer.  The 
struggle  was  not  a  long  one,  nor  was  the  race  hotly 
contested.  In  nautical  phrase  the  Cuba  walked 
away  from  the  Colerado. 

The  incidents  of  the  voyage  were  too  unimportant 
to  merit  special  notice.  Most  striking  of  them  all  was 
an  Atlantic  gale  lasting  two  days.  The  prodigious 
mass  of  water  which  unceasingly  rolls  over  the  lofty 
rocks  at  Niagara  is  supposed  to  convey  one  of  the 
best  examples  of  irresistible  power  to  be  seen  in 
Nature.  I  cannot  but  think,  however,  that  the 


364  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

ocean  heaving  and  foaming  under  the  influence  of  a 
gale  is  a  spectacle  quite  as  imposing  and  majestic. 
The  mighty  sweep  of  the  limitless  waves  appears 
fraught  with  ruin  to  everything  in  their  path.  As 
the  infuriated  wind  shrieks  and  battles  with  the 
rising  billows,  the  insignificance  of  man  is  the 
thought  which  takes  possession  of  the  mind  only  to 
be  expelled  however  by  the  proud  reflection  that  the 
powers  of  the  air  and  the  water  are  put  at  defiance 
by  the  vessel  which  triumphantly  keeps  her  course 
and  thus  demonstrates  the  perfection  of  man's  handi 
work  and  extent  of  human  resources. 

The  progress  of  invention  has  given  to  man  the 
empire  over  the  sea,  but  it  has  not  yet  enabled  him 
uniformly  to  enjoy  his  triumph.  To  but  a  small 
minority  is  it  given  to  take  pleasure  in  a  sea-voyage 
and  to  laugh  at  the  very  notion  of  being  painfully 
affected  by  the  motion  of  a  vessel.  Dr.  Chapman 
has  proclaimed  that  if  his  remedy  of  applying  ice, 
enclosed  in  an  India-rubber  bag,  to  the  spinal  cord 
were  universally  adopted  by  those  who  are  subject  to 
sea-sickness,  the  malady  would  be  almost  unknown. 
But  the  sufferers  commonly  refuse  to  adopt  any 
plan  which  does  not  accord  with  their  own  views. 
Each  one  has  his  private  panacea.  On  board  the 
Cuba  I  witnessed  some  experiments  in  this  line 
which  were  at  least  novel.  One  passenger  had  im- 


NEW  YORK  TO  EUSTON  SQUARE.  365 

pllclt  faith  in  port  wine,  freely  administered.  He 
bore  bravely  up  for  two  days  and  then  was  seen  no 
more.  Another  had  perfect  confidence  in  hot  West 
Indian  pickles  mixed  with  potatoes.  Of  this  com 
pound  he  ate  heartily  and  he  alleged  that  it  did  him 
good.  Appearances  prompted  another  conclusion. 
A  third  said  that  there  was  nothing  like  marmalade 
and  of  this  he  took  large  quantities  after  every  meal. 
More  noteworthy  than  the  remedies  themselves  was 
the  childlike  belief  which  those  who  employed  them 
manifested  in  their  efficacy.  If  sea-sickness  could 
be  cured  by  faith,  then  sea-sickness  ought  never  to 
affect  a  large  number  of  persons.  The  majority, 
however,  generally  learn  by  agonizing  experience 
that  Neptune  is  a  deity  neither  to  be  offended  with 
impunity  nor  propitiated  with  ease.  Nowhere  but  at 
sea  can  the  minority  who  are  always  well,  practically 
appreciate  the  nature  of  the  satisfaction  which,  ac 
cording  to  Lucretius  and  Rochefoucauld,  is  the 
most  perfect  that  human  beings  can  enjoy,  the  satis 
faction  of  being  in  rude  health  and  entire  comfort 
while  others  are  living  pictures  of  woe,  and  are  bear 
ing  witness  by  their  acts  to  the  truth  of  Sir  Thomas 
Overbury's  saying  that  the  sea  is  a  e  moving  misery.' 
It  is  so  common  to  praise  the  steamers  of  the 
Cunard  Company,  and  these  steamers  are  in  many 
respects  so  admirable,  that  the  duty  of  pointing  out 


366  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

defects  has  been  considered  too  invidious  a  one  to 
be  discharged  willingly.  In  consequence  of  this 
the  managers  of  that  company  may  remain  entirely 
ignorant  of  minor,  but  not  unimportant,  complaints 
made  by  passengers  in  their  steam-boats.  One  of 
these  is  not  applicable  to  the  Cunarders  alone,  yet 
that  is  no  excuse  for  the  arrangements  of  these 
steamers  being  open  to  the  strictures  which  I  am 
about  to  make.  When  the  passage-money  is  paid, 
the  steward's  fee  is  professedly  included  in  the 
amount.  This  plan  commends  itself  to  most  per 
sons,  as  it  saves  trouble  and  obviates  annoyance 
should  the  contract  be  rigidly  carried  out  on  both 
sides.  In  reality,  however,  the  payment  is  a  sham, 
or  an  imposition.  If  no  steward's  fee  were  in 
cluded  in  the  passage-money,  a  saving  would  be 
effected  to  the  extent  of  at  least  one  sovereign. 
The  cabin  steward,  the  saloon  steward,  and  a  per-, 
sonage  calling  himself  boots,  all  make  it  clear  that 
they  expect  fees.  Payments  made  under  these 
circumstances  are  simply  black  mail  levied  in 
modern  guise.  It  is  reasonable  that  if  extra  trouble 
be  given,  an  extra  payment  should  be  made  ;  but  in 
no  case  should  money  be  handed  directly  to  the 
servants.  The  purser  is  the  proper  person  through 
whose  hands  permissible  gratuities  should  pass,  or 
a  box  might  be  provided  to  contain  the  sums  which 


NEW  YORK  TO  EUSTON  SQUARE.  367 

might  be  contributed  voluntarily,  the  total  being  di 
vided  pro  rata  among  all  those  entitled  to  share  in 
the  distribution.  There  are  other  matters  which  the 
company  would  do  well  to  consider  with  a  view  to 
rendering  their  steamers  as  comfortable  as  they  are 
safe.  "What  these  are  I  shall  not  specify ;  if  the  com 
pany  desire  to  learn  further  particulars,  let  them  send 
an  agent  during  one  voyage,  and  report  what  the  pas 
sengers  say  openly  and  without  reticence.  It  would 
be  wise  not  to  treat  these  things  with  contempt,  for 
competitors  are  pressing  close  on  the  heels  of  the 
Cunard  Company.  In  many  points  of  detail  the 
steamers  of  the  German  lines  are  arranged  with 
far  more  consideration  for  the  convenience  and  com 
fort  of  passengers,  than  are  the  finest  among  the 
Cunarders. 

On  arriving  at  Euston- square  after  a  journey 
which,  if  not  unbroken,  was  yet  very  rapidly  made 
from  San  Francisco  to  London,  the  mind  naturally 
dwells  on  the  railway  which  has  rendered  such  a 
journey  possible.  Regarded  as  a  whole  the  Pacific 
Railway  is  a  great  triumph  of  engineering  skill  and 
patriotic  enterprise.  It  will  contribute  as  much  to 
consolidate  and  perpetuate  the  Union  as  the  most 
splendid  and  thorough  of  Grant's  victories,  either 
as  soldier  or  statesman. 

Even  more  satisfactory  than  the  fact  that  the 


368  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

Pacific  Railway  has  virtually  opened  out  a  new  coun 
try,  as  well  as  provided  a  new  route  to  the  East, 
is  the  stimulus  it  has  given  to  continue  and  extend 
the  work  of  which  its  originators  were  the  dariiiLf 
and  devoted  pioneers.  A  second  line  through 
Kansas  will  soon  be  completed,  thus  opening  up  the 
country  to  the  south  of  the  present  one.  A  third 
line  is  in  contemplation  which  will  open  up  the 
country  to  the  north  of  it,  bringing  traffic  from 
Lake  Superior  to  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  River. 
In  this  rivalry  the  Canadians  are  about  to  take 
part.  A  line  has  been  projected  which  \vill  bring 
Halifax  as  near  to  Victoria  as  New  York  is  to  San 
Francisco.  This  line  will  traverse  the  Dominion  of 
Canada  from  ocean  to  ocean  and  render  millions  of 
acres  of  the  richest  land  in  the  known  world  acces 
sible  to  the  emigrant  and  adapted  for  the  settler. 
As  a  route  to  the  East,  the  Canadian  Pacific  Rail 
way  will  shorten  the  distance  between  Liverpool 
and  Hong  Kong  by  700  miles,  compared  with  any 
other  railway  traversing  the  Continent  of  America. 
Thus,  the  three  greatest  enterprises  of  recent  years 
— the  Atlantic  Cable,  the  Pacific  Railway,  the 
Suez  Canal — are  of  inestimable  value  as  examples 
as  well  as  achievements.  The  success  in  each  case 
has  led  to  the  prosecution  of  undertakings  which 
would  otherwise  have  long  continued  to  be  mere 


NEW  YORK  TO  EUSTON  SQUARE.  3G9 

projects,  exciting  the  derision  of  the  foolish  and  the 
doubts  of  the  prudent.  It  is  a  good  omen  for  the 
future  of  humanity  that  England,  France,  and 
America,  should  have  become  vigorous  rivals  in 
works  far  more  worthy  to  be  praised  than  the  com 
petition  which  aims  at  covering  the  sea  with  iron 
clad  men-of-war,  and  the  land  with  soldiers  armed 
to  the  teeth,  works  of  which  the  good  is  never  in 
terred  with  the  bones  of  those  who  have  aided  in 
their  achievement,  but  survives  and  operates  to 
make  the  race  of  man  happier  by  rendering  the 
globe  more  habitable. 


370  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 


XXVI. 

IMPRESSIONS  AND   OPINIONS  OF  AMERICA 


do  you  think  of  America?'  'How  did 
you  like  the  Americans  ?  '  These  two  questions 
were  frequently  put  to  me,  after  returning  home 
from  the  United  States.  Possibly,  the  readers  of 
the  foregoing  pages  may  not  object  if  the  substance 
of  the  replies  which  I  made,  is  appended  to  this 
volume  by  way  of  conclusion.  The  answers  which 
I  shall  furnish  must  necessarily  be  short  and  super 
ficial.  All  that  I  profess  to  do  is  to  note  one  or 
two  salient  points  and  comment  on  some  unmistake- 
able  peculiarities.  To  do  more  would  fill  a  volume. 
Adequately  to  do  as  much,  within  the  narrow  com 
pass  of  a  few  pages,  is  a  task  of  no  small  difficulty. 
Great  interest  has  always  been  felt  throughout 
the  United  Kingdom  about  the  condition  and 
destiny  of  the  vigorous  off-shoot  which  has  rapidly 
waxed  great  on  the  American  continent.  In  order 
to  gratify  this  natural  and  praiseworthy  curiosity 
many  English  travellers  have  paid  visits  to  the 
United  States  and  placed  on  record  their  experi 
ences  and  their  prognostications.  Unfortunately  the 


IMPRESSIONS  AND  OPINIONS  OF  AMERICA.    371 

anxiety  to  compose  a  saleable  work  has  been  more 
apparent  than  the  determination  to  produce  a  fair 
and  accurate  one.  Hence  it  is  that  English  books 
of  travel  in  America  are  for  the  most  part  either 
bundles  of  prejudices  artistically  arranged,  or  else 
deliberate  caricatures  skilfully  drawn.  * 

The  circumstance  that  the  Americans  are  living 
and  active  incarnations  of  modern  Republicanism,  is 
an  element  in  the  calculation  which  has  had  undue 
influence  in  moulding  the  conclusions  of  some  Eng 
lish  visitors  to  their  land.  Even  among  educated 
men  in  the  United  Kingdom  there  lurks  the  silly 
and  baleful  notion  that  all  English-speaking  Re 
publicans  are  dangerous  animals ;  semi-lunatics  or 
utter  knaves;  human  gorillas  imperfectly  tamed 
and  wholly  uncivilized.  For  the  Republicans  oi 
antiquity  and  for  Republics  which  have  foundered  in 
the  seas  of  time  are  manifested  true  admiration  and 
fervent  sympathy.  Nor  is  it  impossible  to  find 
several  persons  of  note  who  will  admit  that  French 
men  and  Spaniards  are  justified  in  preferring  a 
Republican  form  of  government  to  a  cruel  and 
grinding  despotism. 

In  the  case  of  the  Swiss  an  exception  is  always 
unreservedly  made.  The  patriotism  which  inspired 
the  fabulous  deeds  of  William  Tell,  the  proximity 
to  a  mountain  so  famous  as  Mont  Blanc,  or  some 

17 


372  WESTWARD  BY  KAIL. 

occult  reason,  has  surrounded  the  Swiss  with  a  halo 
of  romance,  and  caused  those  who  abominate  the 
very  name  of  a  Republic  to  approve  of  such  a  Re 
public  as  that  of  Switzerland.  The  reasons  com 
monly  assigned  for  the  approbation  bestowed  upon 
the  form  o/  government  in  existence  among  the 
Swiss  are  that  Switzerland  is  a  small  country,  is 
sparsely  populated,  is  inhabited  by  a  frugal  and 
industrious  people,  and  is  very  mountainous.  These 
reasons  are  deemed  conclusive,  chiefly  because  they 
are  supposed  to  justify  the  remark  that,  in  a  country 
of  vast  area  and  containing  a  population  as  large  as 
that  of  the  United  Kingdom,  the  Republic  esta 
blished  there  is  either  a  '  bubble  '  destined  to  burst, 
or  the  precursor  of  anarchy.  I  have  been  unable 
to  discern  a  tittle  of  evidence  confirmatory  of  these 
views.  The  tokens  of  failure  do  not  lie  on  the 
surface.  It  is  impossible  for  any  one  who  is  not 
the  slave  to  foregone  conclusions  to  travel  through 
the  United  States  and  converse  \Njkh  persons  of 
every  rank  in  the  social  and  intellectual  scale 
without  becoming  convinced  that  the  system  of 
government  prevailing  there,  a  system  which  has  its 
basis  in  the  possession  of  brains  and  disregards 
altogether  the  accidents  of  birth,  is  a  system  at 
once  popular  and  efficient,  and  that,  if  imperfect  in 
minor  details,  it  is  as  a  whole  a  finely  devised  and 


IMPRESSIONS  AND  OPINIONS  OF  AMERICA.    373 

carefully  co-ordinated  scheme  for  the  government  of 
the  people  by  the  people. 

This  opinion  will  be  regarded  in  some  quarters 
as  rank  heresy.  It  does  not  accord  with  the  con 
clusions  of  many  able  writers.  The  statements  of 
some  recent  travellers  may  be  used  to  refute  my 
conclusions.  These  travellers  would  be  entitled  to 
the  greater  weight  as  authorities  if  they  had  proved 
themselves  capable  of  arguing  logically  and  desirous 
of  chronicling  facts  with  impartiality.  One  of  them 
passed  an  adverse  judgment  upon  Republican  insti 
tutions  because  he  got  a  bad  bed-room  in  the  best 
]S"ew  York  hotel  and  because  he  detested  the  street 
and  railway  cars.  Another  writer  has  insidiously 
endeavoured  to  discredit  the  Great  Republic  by 
giving  unfair  prominence,  in  his  description  of  what 
he  strangely  christened  '  New  America,'  to  some 
abnormal  phases  of  pseudo-religious  life,  and  by 
inducing  his  readers  to  infer  that  the  most  dis 
creditable  and  profligate  aberrations  of  sexual 
relationship  constitute  all  that  is  characteristic  of 
American  society.  Still  more  recently,  a  gentleman 
who  journeyed  over  a  large  portion  of  the  world  in 
order  to  test  mankind  by  a  new  standard,  has  drawn 
a  ghastly  picture  of  the  Republic  of  the  West. 
In  the  opinion  of  this  writer,  wherever  pew-rents 
are  charged,  there  everything  is  out  of  joint. 


374  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

When  he  found  pew-rents  in  combination  with  Re 
publicanism  he  was  obliged  to  ransack  the  language 
for  terms  of  vituperation  sufficiently  strong  where 
with  to  testify  his  abhorrence  and  disgust.  Writers 
whom  their  friends  deem  merely  eccentric  and  per 
fectly  harmless  may  yet  be  able,  if  gifted  with  a 
command  of  invective  and  trained  to  wield  the  pen, 
to  work  more  mischief  than  the  wisest  can  ever 
repair. 

While  convinced  as  to  the  worthless  or  mis 
chievous  character  of  many  books  written  about  the 
United  States,  I  am  ready  to  admit  that  some 
American  citizens  act  in  a  way  which  occasions 
misunderstanding  and  provokes  retaliation.  Their 
insolent  assumption  of  superiority  irritates  and 
offends  not  a  few.  In  addition  to  vaunting  the 
perfection  of  the  system  of  government  founded 
by  their  predecessors,  they  foolishly  sneer  at  and 
wantonly  revile  the  systems  in  force  elsewhere. 
While  on  the  one  hand,  the  prejudiced  native  of 
the  Old  World  dislikes  arrangements  of  which  the 
inherent  defect  is  their  novelty ;  on  the  other,  the 
uncultured  citizen  of  the  United  States  scoffs  at  the 
institutions  of  the  United  Kingdom  simply  on  ac 
count  of  their  antiquity.  The  one  thinks  that  every 
thing  new  must  be  bad;  the  other  that  everything 
old  must  be  rotten.  What  I  deplore  is  the  disposition 


IMPBESSIONS  AND  OPINIONS  OF  AMERICA.    375 

frequently  manifested  on  both  sides  to  be  captious 
and  critical  rather  than  to  study  and  comprehend, 
the  readiness  to  decide  on  insufficient  data,  the  dis 
like  to  make  allowance  for  unavoidable  imperfec 
tions.  Each  is  apt  to  be  offended  if  the  expected 
flattery  be  withheld.  Both  naturally  resent  what  is 
styled  good  advice,  but  which  in  reality  is  veiled 
malice.  This  kind  of  good  advice  is  hardly  less 
dangerous  than  the  proverbial  good  intentions.  If 
administered  too  frefcly,  or  inopportunely,  it  creates 
a  hell  of  which  the  existence  cannot  be  excused  by 
saying  that  the  supply  of  pavement  is  ample. 

The  English  traveller  in  America  has  reason  to 
take  special  note  of  the  hotels.  They  materially 
differ  from  what  he  has  seen  either  at  home  or  on  the 
Continent  of  Europe.  For  convenience  of  arrange 
ment  the  first-class  American  hotel  is  unrivalled. 
Everything  the  visitor  may  require  is  within  his 
reach.  Shops  of  various  kinds  are  generally  in 
communication  with  the  spacious  entrance  hall, 
while  within  that  hall  is  an  office  whence  telegrams 
may  be  sent  off,  and  where  railway  tickets  may  be 
purchased.  In  one  respect  the  English  first-class 
hotel  is  preferable.  It  generally  has,  what  the 
American  has  not,  a  reading-room  containing,  in 
addition  to  the  daily  newspapers,  the  weekly 


376  tV&TWABD  EY  RAIL. 

journals,  monthly  magazines,  and  quarterly  reviews. 
The  reading-room  in  an  American  hotel  is  meagrely 
supplied  with  newspapers,  the  frequenter  being 
expected  to  buy  his  newspaper  or  periodical  at  the 
adjoining  book-stall.  Another  drawback  is  that 
the  American  hotel  is  designed  as  much  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  lounger  as  for  the  reception 
of  the  traveller.  The  idle  public  of  the  city  makes 
free  use  of .  the  entrance  hall  and  reading-room, 
monopolizing  the  fireplace  in  -winter  and  the  seats 
near  the  window  in  summer.  As  a  rule,  bachelors, 
and  married  men  travelling  without  their  wives,  get 
the  worst  rooms  in  all  hotels ;  but  in  an  American 
hotel  they  are  treated  with  marked  disrespect.  The 
rooms  set  apart  for  them  are  in  striking  contrast 
to  those  which  married  couples  are  allowed  to 
occupy  without  paying  more  foy  the  superior  ac 
commodation.  Making  this  fact  the  foundation  of  a 
theory,  the  ingenious  speculator  might  advance  a 
new  explanation  of  the  early  marriages  for  which 
Americans  are  remarkable. 

Travelling  by  rail  has  become  very  luxurious  in 
several  States,  while,  in  others,  it  is  a  very  fatiguing 
means  of  locomotion.  The  Western  States  are 
gradually  teaching  those  of  the  East  to  carry  pas 
sengers  from  place  to  place  in  perfect  comfort. 
Nothing  can  be  less  agreeable  than  the  ordinary 


IMPKESSIONS  AND  OPINIONS  OP  AMEEICA.    377 

American  railroad  car:  no  carnage  is  more  admi 
rable  than  the  car  which  has  given  to  Mr.  Pullman 
wealth  and  fame.  Why  an  English  railway  com 
pany  should  not  try  the  experiment  of  running 
some  of  these  sleeping  or  drawing-room  cars  is  a 
mystery  to  which  I  can  find  no  clue.  If  it  be  said 
that  the  distances  are  too  short,  I  answer  that  five 
hours  in  a  railway  carriage  need  not  necessarily  be 
hours  of  torture.  The  journey  between  London 
and  Edinburgh,  Glasgow,  Aberdeen,  and  Inverness 
is  surely  long  enough  to  warrant  the  employment 
cf  the  improved  carriage.  Such  a  carriage  is  used 
when  the  Queen  journeys  from  Windsor  to  Bal 
moral.  Now,  that  provided  for  her  use  is  neither 
more  sumptuously  decorated,  nor  more  commo- 
diously  arranged  than  the  best  of  Mr.  Pullman's 
cars.  To  travel  in  them  involves  payment  of  an 
additional  charge.  This  extra  fare  is  cheerfully 
paid  in  America.  Is  it  probable  that  Englishmen 
would  refuse  to  buy  luxury  on  the  rail  if  they  had 
the  option  ?  Besides,  the  system  has  been  found 
to  be  not  only  popular  but  remunerative.  The 
shareholders  in  '  Pullman's  Car  Company  '  receive 
dividends  at  the  rate  of  12  per  cent.  If  one  of 
these  cars  were  shown  at  the  Exhibition  of  Works 
of  Utility  to  be  held  next  year  at  South  Kensing 
ton,  the  English  public  would  blush  to  perceive 


378  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

that  in  this  matter  they  have  been  surpassed,  and 
would  form  an  opinion  most  favourable  to  the  spirit 
and  enterprise  of  the  active  citizens  of  Chicago. 

The  observant  and  unprejudiced  visitor  who  has 
spent  a  few  days  in  the  United  States  begins 
to  doubt  the  correctness  of  what  he  has  read 
about  the  manners  and  appearance  of  the  people. 
After  the  experience  of  a  few  weeks  his  new 
notions  become  more  precise  and  appear  still  more 
plausible.  The  result  of  a  few  months'  travel  and 
scrutiny  is  to  transform  his  earlier  views  altogether 
and  make  him  feel  that,  in  trusting  certain  tra 
vellers,  he  has  been  the  victim  of  misplaced  con 
fidence.  As  for  the  repulsive  Yankee  of  the  novelist 
he  is  nowhere  to  be  met  with  in  the  flesh.  He  has 
apparently  been  evolved  out  of  the  novelist's  con 
sciousness.  The  typical  American  has  not  yet 
been  sketched  with  the  writer's  pen  or  the  artist's 
pencil.  This  is  not  surprising,  for  the  task  is  one 
of  which  the  difficulty  is  only  second  to  that  in 
volved  in  portraying  the  typical  European.  The 
external  marks  and  latent  variations  which  separate 
and  characterise  Englishmen,  Frenchmen,  Germans, 
Spaniards,  and  Italians  are  scarcely  more  distinctive 
than  those  which  separate  the  native  of  Maine  from 
the  native  of  South  Carolina ;  the  native  of  Ohio 


IMPRESSIONS  AND  OPINIONS  OF  AMERICA.   379 

or  Illinois  from  the  native  of  Connecticut ;  the 
native  of  Massachusetts  from  the  native  of  Texas, 
California,  or  Oregon.  All  of  them  are  citizens 
of  the  United  States,  but  each  is  an  American 
with  a  difference.  The  type  must  include  and 
express  both  the  points  of  agreement  and  the  points 
of  dissimilarity,  and  I  repeat  that  such  a  type  has  yet 
to  be  exhibited  to  the  world  by  the  word-painter  or 
the  draughtsman.  If  Mr.  f  Punch  '  would  make  a 
note  of  this  he  might  hereafter  gratify  his  admirers 
not  only  with  exquisitely  drawn  cartoons,  but  also 
with  a  typical  American  as  true  to  nature  as  is  his 
typical  Frenchman  or  German. 

It  is  as  great  a  blunder  to  group  Americans 
under  one  category  as  to  confound  the  Highlander 
of  Skye  with  the  Cornish  miner,  the  London  cock 
ney  with  the  Dublin  Irishman.  No  one  acquainted 
with  the  French  would  regard  the  Frenchmen  who 
perambulate  Regent  Street  or  Leicester  Square  as 
worthy  representatives  of  the  quick-witted,  mer 
curial  and  polished  Parisians,  while  able  to  trace 
a  likeness  between  them  and  the  swaggering  and 
boastful  Gascons.  Now  the  discrimination  to  be 
exercised  in  such  a  case  as  this  should  also  be  dis 
played  when  opinions  are  passed  upon  Americans 
travelling  in  Europe.  Some  of  them  have  no  claim 
whatsoever  to  represent  their  country.  Probably 


380  "WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

they  have  become  enriched  by  speculation.  Tho, 
discovery  of  a  petroleum  spring  or  the  possession  of 
a  fat  army  contract  may  have  suddenly  filled  their 
pockets  to  overflowing.  They  have  got  wealth,  but 
no  manners  ;  they  have  the  desire  to  shine,  but  can 
not  do  so  at  home.  The  best  American  society  is 
as  exclusive  as  that  of  London,  Paris,  or  Vienna. 
Foreign  adventurers  may  gain  admittance  into  it ; 
but  the  native  upstart  is  carefully  excluded."  The 
latter  has  no  choice  but  to  seek  in  Europe  that 
which  he  cannot  obtain  at  home.  In  the  twofold 
capacity  of  a  rich  man  and  an  American  citizen  he 
is  welcomed  everywhere;  his  bad-breeding  being 
laid  to  the  charge  of  Republicanism;  his  wealth 
being  attributed  to  the  possession  on  his  part  of 
extraordinary  abilities.  At  the  fashionable  water 
ing  places  of  Germany  during  the  summer  and 
at  the  fashionable  resorts  in  the  south  of  France 
and  Italy  during  the  winter  these  men,  accom 
panied  by  their  underbred  wives  and  ill-bred  chil 
dren,  are  to  be  seen  in  all  the  glory  of  upstart 
millionaires.  Highly  paid  couriers  rob  them  and 
translate  for  them.  They  occupy  the  most  expen 
sive  rooms  in  the  hotels ;  eat  the  delicacies  which 
are  not  in  season ;  drink  wines  of  the  rarest  vintage. 
They  are  the  targets  for  criticism  and  scorn  as  they 
loll  in  splendid  carriages  alongside  of  their  wives 


IMPKESSIONS  AND  OPINIONS  OP  AMEKICA.   381 

resplendent  in  dresses  of  the  newest  fashion  and 
glistening  with  gems  of  great  price.  These  men 
can  sign  their  names  and  write  intelligible  letters. 
Newspapers  they  can  read  and  enjoy.  But  of  cul 
ture  they  are  bereft,  and  of  manners  they  have  not 
even  a  varnish.  To  regard  these  blustering  and 
unattractive  members  of  the  e Petroleum'  or  s  Shoddy 
Aristocracy'  as  anything  but  Americans  in  name,  is 
to  err  in  a  way  of  which  the  grossness  cannot  be 
adequately  apprehended  by  anyone  who  has  not 
visited  the  United  States  and  formed  the  acquaint 
ance  of  Americans  in  the  land  of  their  birth. 

The  notion  prevails  that  the  Americans  are  far 
too  free  and  easy  in  manner  to  please  the  fastidious 
stranger.  It  is  true  that  they  often  shake  hands. 
This,  however,  is  a  custom  which  has  no  special  sig 
nificance.  It  resembles  what  the  French  designate 
*  hat-politeness.'  An  American  cordially  shakes 
hands  with  those  whom  he  does  not  care  to  meet  on 
terms  of  intimacy.  Introductions  are  made  with  great 
formality  ;  utterance  is  given  to  the  pleasure  which 
it  gives  the  one  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  the 
other,  while,  should  they  see  each  other  again,  they 
may  appear  to  be  perfect  strangers.  In  the  Western 
States  the  old  English  custom  of  interspersing  sen 
tences  with  (  Sir,'  a  custom  which,  in  high-bred 
Eastern  circles,  has  almost  died  out,  is  still  in  force 


382  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

and  the  observance  of  it  supposed  to  be  the  mark 
of  good  breeding. 

English  words  are  often  used  in  America  to  sig 
nify  something  different  from  that  which  they  con 
vey  to  an  English  ear.  A  list  of  these  words  would 
show  the  inevitable  change  which  is  being  wrought 
in  the  language.  These  alterations  in  meaning, 
accompanied  by  deliberate  alterations  in  spelling, 
must  sooner  or  later  make  the  order  which  the 
Emperor  Nicholas,  when  enraged  against  England, 
gave  to  substitute  the  teaching  of  American  for 
English,  one  which  it  will  be  easy  to  obey.  For 
my  own  part  I  am  unable  to  side  with  those  who 
profess  to  be  shocked  at  the  alleged  deterioration  of 
the  English  language  in  America;  nor  can  I  see  the 
propriety  of  taking  the  people  to  task  on  account  of 
their  accent.  A  great  deal  too  much  has  been  made 
of  this  trivial  detail.  In  itself  it  is  a  matter  of  no 
moment  whatever.  Moreover,  neither  side  will 
convince  the  other,  nor  will  denunciation  of  the 
American  accent  alter  it  one  iota.  The  American 
climate  has  attuned  the  American  voice.  Nor  is 
the  accent  uniform.  It  varies  in  different  States. 
In  New  England  the  voice  is  sharp  and  shrill ;  in 
the  South  slow  and  liquid;  in  the  West  deep- 
toned  and  resonant.  Indeed,  the  differences  in  this 
respect  are  as  notable  as  those  which  exist  between 


IMPRESSIONS  AND  OPINIONS  OF  AMERICA.   383 

the  accent  of  a  Londoner,  of  a  native  of  Dublin,  of 
a  native  of  Edinburgh.  The  like  variation  is  ob 
servable  in  other  countries  also.  The  pronunciation 
of  a  Parisian  is  in  marked  contrast  to  that  of  a 
native  of  Alsace,  Provence,  or  Auvergne.  A 
trained  ear  has  little  difficulty  in  noting  the  pecu 
liarities  of  accent  which  distinguish  the  native  of 
Hanover  from  the  native  of  Frankfort  or  Leipsic, 
Berlin  or  Vienna.  There  is  nothing  new,  though 
there  is  something  very  contemptible  in  interna 
tional  jealousies  being  cherished  on  account  of  the 
way  in  which  the  identical  language  is  spoken  by 
those  who  owe  allegiance  to  different  flags.  Yet  the 
aversion  which  Frenchmen  exhibit  to  the  Swiss 
and  the  Belgians  is  partly  due  to  the  supposition 
that  the  French  of  Geneva  and  Brussels  is  a  bastard 
tongue. 

There  is,  however,  another  side  to  the  question 
which  has  been  wholly  overlooked.  Strangely  enough 
the  purists  who  are  displeased  with  the  accent  and 
English  of  Americans  have  taken* no  thought  of 
the  consequences  which  might  ensue  were  it  impos 
sible  to  tell  an  Englishman  from  an  American  as 
soon  as  either  had  uttered  a  few  words.  Sometimes 
this  difference  is  so  slight  as  to  escape  detection, 
and  then  Americans  hear  statements  which  are 
more  frank  than  flattering.  When  the  war  raged 


384  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

certain  northern  gentlemen  of  great  influence  in  the 
councils  of  the  nation  were  travelling  for  their 
health  in  Europe  and  were  thus  brought  into  con 
tact  with  those  eccentric  British  tourists  who  excite 
the  wonder  of  foreigners  and  are  a  disgrace  to  their 
country.  The  latter  being  ignorant  of  the  nation 
ality  of  those  with  whom  they  conversed  in  their 
mother  tongue  gave  expression  to  sentiments  which 
did  not  increase  the  admiration  of  the  Americans 
for  the  part  played  by  the  United  Kingdom.  Mis 
adventures  of  this  kind  have  had  results  much  more 
serious  than  might  have  been  expected.  So  far 
from  regretting  that  the  language  spoken  in  the 
United  Kingdom  should  not  be  the  exact  counter 
part  of  that  spoken  in  the  United  States,  I  am  cer 
tain  that,  the  greater  the  divergence  within  reason 
able  limits,  the  better  will  it  be  for  all  parties. 

From  points  about  which  travellers  differ,  it  is  a 
pleasure  to  turn  to  one  about  which  there  has  been, 
and  must  be  perfect  unanimity.  The  beauty  of  the 
women  is  without  the  pale  of  controversy.  It  cannot 
be  likened  to  the  beauty  for  which  English  girls 
are  deservedly  and  universally  admired ;  for  which 
Italian  maidens  have  been  immortalized  on  canvas 
or  in  verse ;  for  which  the  sprightly  damsels  of 
France  and  the  coquettish  ladies  of  Spain  have  won 
applause  and  by  means  of  which  they  have  made 


IMPKESSIONS  AND  OPINIONS^  OF  AMEEICA.    385 

Bancroft 


conquests.  If  I  were  to  select  a  particular  locality 
in  the  United  States,  I  might  truthfully  compare 
the  type  of  beauty  predominant  there  to  that  of  a 
particular  country  in  the  Old  World.  But  America 
is  a  world  in  itself.  Within  the  bounds  of  the 
Republic  of  the  West  are  all  the  climates  which 
give  diversity  to  Europe,  from  Rome  to  Copen 
hagen  and  from  London  to  Madrid.  Where  cli 
mates  vary,  female  faces  vary  also.  In  New  England 
may  be  seen  those  delicately  chiselled  features  and 
transparent  complexions  which  in  Europe  are  cha 
racteristic  of  the  fascinating  beauties  of  the  North. 
In  the  Southern  States  the  imperious  and  indolent 
Spanish  women,  with  their  amorous  eyes  and  raven 
hair,  have  been  reproduced  at  the  distance  of  many 
thousand  miles  from  Andalusia  and  Castile.  Let 
the  traveller  cross  "the  continent  till  the  Pacific 
slope  is  reached,  and  there  the  soft  and  delicate 
beauty  of  Italy,  combined  with  an  intelligence 
wholly  American  and  a  physique  wholly  English, 
delights  and  surprises  him.  Nor  are  good  looks  the 
sole  dower  of  American  girls.  They  are  more 
French  than  English  in  the  acuteness  with  which 
they  argue.  They  are  passionately  fond  of  the  fri 
volities  of  existence,  yet  they  follow  with  interest 
the  course  of  the  graver  topics  of  the  day.  On  poli 
tical  questions  they  are  ready  to  take  sides,  and 


386  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

they  discuss  the  issues  involved  in  a  controversy 
with  zest  and  understanding.  Their  patriotism  is 
not  a  profession,  but  a  passion.  The  intensity  of 
their  devotion  to  their  country  imparted  super 
human  vigour  to  the  struggle  when  North  and 
South  faced  each  other  in  battle  array.  The  women 
of  the  South  were  the  soul  of  the  Confederacy.  The 
women  of  the  North  saved  the  Union.  If  the 
women  of  America  were  more  kindly  disposed  to 
wards  England,  the  relations  between  the  two  coun 
tries,  at  this  moment,  would  be  more  cordial  and 
more  secure. 

While  misunderstandings  are  rife  in  Europe  about 
the  American  people,  mistakes  quite  as  serious  are 
commonly  made  with  regard  to  the  American  press. 
The  opinion  of  the  entire  country  is  supposed  to  be 
represented  by  the  press  of  New  York,  or  rather  by 
a  few  New  York  newspapers.  At  one  time  there 
was  an  excuse  for  entertaining  such  an  opinion,  but 
that  time  has  long  since  passed  away.  No  one 
American  newspaper  is  entitled  to  the  rank  of  a 
national  organ.  Each  expresses  the  views  of  well- 
defined  sections;  of  particular  interests;  of  indi 
viduals  whose  personal  crotchets  inspire  respect  or 
excite  curiosty. 

In  this  respect  the  press  of  New  York  differs 


IMPRESSIONS  AND  OPINIONS  OF  AMERICA.    387 

essentially  from  the  press  of  London.  The  news 
papers  which  guide  and  instruct  Englishmen  are  in 
no  sense  of  the  word  the  organs  of  those  who  con 
duct  them.  One  editor  may  give  place  to  another 
without  any  variation  in  the  courses  of  The  Times* 
The  Daily  Neivs,  or  The  Standard.  Under  all 
circumstances  and  at  all  conjunctures  The  Times 
will  strive  to  mirror  the  public  opinion  of  the 
moment ;  The  Daily  News  will  uphold  the  doctrines 
of  progress ;  The  Standard  will  defend  and  repre 
sent  the  principles  of  conservatism.  On  any  given 
question  the  line  which  each  is  sure  to  take  may  be 
predicted  beforehand  with  a  confidence  amounting 
to  certainty.  A  sudden  and  unexpected  conversion 
would  be  fatal  to  the  newspaper's  reputation.  The 
positions  of  each  may  vary,  while  the  relative  dis 
tance  between  each  remains  unaltered.  To  employ 
Macaulay's  illustration ; — the  tail  may  appear  to 
have  taken  the  place  of  the  head  yet  the  space 
between  the  head  and  tail  is  the  same  to  an  hair's 
breadth. 

Newspapers  like  the  New  York  Times,  Tribune, 
and  Herald  are  managed  on  a  plan  totally  dif 
ferent.  The  conductor  of  each  is  known  to  the 
public.  The  opinions  of  the  editor  constitute  the 
policy  of  the  paper.  When  Mr.  Raymond  was 
alive,  the  side  which  the  New  York  Times  took 


338  WEST \VAED  BY  RAIL. 

during  a  presidential  campaign,  or  on  a  question  of 
national  policy,  was  the  side  which  Mr.  Raymond 
was  known  to  favour.  Should  Mr.  Horace  Greely 
crown  his  noble  career  by  an  honourable  recanta 
tion  of  Protectionist  heresies,  The  Tribune  would 
at  once  become  the  ardent  apostle  of  Free  Trade. 
When  Mr.  Bennett  has  a  friend  to  serve  or  a 
grudge  to  revenge,  The  Herald  is  a  powerful  in 
strument  for  giving  effect  to  his  wish  in  either  case. 
What  injures  an  American  journal  the  most  is  not 
inconsistency,  but  ill-success  in  collecting  news. 
Headers  are  indifferent  to  the  tone  or  quality  of  the 
leading  article  so  long  as  the  latest  intelligence  is 
complete  and  trustworthy.  The  telegraphic  de 
spatches  which,  in  our  newspapers  fill  a  column, 
often  fill  an  entire  page  in  an  American  newspaper. 
Owing  to  the  personal  nature  and  local  influence  of 
these  journals  many  false  impressions  are  made  on 
those  who,  in  Europe,  look  to  any  one  for  an  index 
of  national  opinion.  If  the  desire  be  entertained 
to  trace  the  current  and  estimate  the  character  of 
American  thought  by  studying  the  press,  the  re 
search  must  not  be  confined  to  a  siugle  New  York 
journal,  or  terminate  when  all  the  journals  of  that 
city  have  been  scrutinized,  but  must  be  extended  to 
the  leading  journals  of  Boston  and  Philadelphia,  of 
Richmond  and  Cincinnati,  of  Chicago  and  San  Fran- 


DIPEESSIONS  AND  OPINIONS  OF  AMERICA.    389 

cisco,  and  even  then  it  will  be  wise  to  hesitate 
before  pronouncing  a  decision  which  may  be  vitiated 
by  the  error  of  mistaking  a  part  for  the  whole. 

Nothing  gratified  me  more  than  the  feeling  of 
kindliness  towards  the  Old  Country  which  I  found 
pervading  the  American  people.  The  bitter  and 
undying  animosity  about  which  much  has  been 
written  exists  on  paper  only,  or  in  the  distempered 
minds  of  irreconcilable  Fenians.  In  this  particular 
the  press  is  not  a  faithful  exponent  of  the  public 
sentiment.  A  disposition  to  construe  in  the  worst 
sense  all  the  actions  of  the  United  Kingdom  and  to 
discredit  her  on  every  occasion  and  in  every  ima 
ginable  way,  is  certainly  the  characteristic  of  the 
press  of  New  York.  I  believe  this  to  be  mere 
sound  and  fury  wholly  devoid  of  significance.  It  is 
the  relic  of  a  traditionary  policy,  rather  than  the 
token  of  a  living  and  active  hostility.  To  find  a 
parallel  to  it,  we  have  not  far  to  seek.  Long  after 
the  English  people  were  on  a  footing  of  amity  with 
the  French,  the  tone  of  the  press  towards  France 
was  little  more  friendly  and  complimentary  than  in 
the  days  when  it  was  the  bad  fashion  to  style 
Frenchmen  our  hereditary  foes.  The  change  in 
public  opinion  has  now  been  responded  to  by  the 
press  of  England,  while  that  of  France,  reluctant  to 
allow  old  jealousies  to  subside  into  oblivion,  still 


390  WESTWARD  BY  RAIL. 

harps  on  the  imaginary  plots  and  intrigues  of  per 
fidious  Albion. 

The  Americans  certainly  entertain  the  belief  that 
the  United  Kingdom  has  often  been  unjust  towards 
their  country  and  was  wilfully  unkind  in  the  hour 
of  her  sore  tribulation.  Moreover,  there  is  an  in 
disposition  on  their  parts  to  give  a  cool  hearing  to 
any  explanations  which  may  serve  to  render  the 
grievance  of  America  less  clear  and  substantial 
That  the  matter  can  have  two  sides  is  what  few 
Americans  readily  admit :  that  the  one  party  should 
be  altogether  in  the  wrong  and  the  other  altogether 
in  the  right  seems  to  them  a  defensible  position  to 
assume.  Notwithstanding  a  state  of  things  alike 
painful  and  complicated,  I  consider  that  it  is  within 
the  power  of  English  and  American  statesmen  to 
find  the  key  of  the  puzzle  and  to  agree  to  an 
arrangement  which  would  both  settle  existing  dif 
ferences  in  an  honourable  and  equitable  way,  and 
also  ensure  increased  harmony  in  the  future.* 

That  an  amicable  adjustment  of  grievances  and 
a  close  alliance  in  opinion  and  policy  should  be  ef 
fected  between  the  United  Kingdom  and  the  United 

*  This  is  not  the  place  to  discuss  in  detail  the  problems  which 
cluster  round  the  Alabama  claims.  Besides,  I  have  done  so  else 
where.  Any  reader  who  cares  to  learn  the  nature  of  my  conclusions 
has  but  to  turn  to  the  Westminster  Review  for  January,  1870,  and 
read  an  article  entitled  '  American  Claims  on  England.' 


IMPRESSIONS  AND  OPINIONS  OF  AMERICA.   391 

States  must  be  the  ardent  desire  of  any  one  who, 
like  myself,  being  fondly  attached  to  his  own  country 
and  glorying  in  her  renown,  has  had  the  advantage 
of  traversing  the  greater  portion  of  the  magnificent 
continent  of  America,  has  enjoyed  special  opportu 
nities  for  witnessing  the  working  of  the  government, 
and  has  profited  by  conversations  with  all  sections 
and  classes  of  its  energetic  and  high-spirited  in-- 
habitants. 


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